Perez
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WILKES-BARRE — A Pittston man who was treated for mental illness after his arrest in 2019 when he burglarized an Exeter residence and attempted to rape an elderly woman pled guilty to related offenses in Luzerne County Court.
Joshua Luis Perez, 29, was once deemed incompetent and hospitalized at an inpatient center near Philadelphia until he was well enough to face criminal charges in court.
Arrest papers filed by Exeter police say Perez stalked an elderly woman for several hours and watched her leave her house on Susquehanna Avenue on July 31, 2019.
After the woman left, Perez entered her house and waited for her to return, court records say.
Perez allegedly used duct tape to bind her hands and fondled himself in front of her before he removed the woman’s clothing and attempted to rape her.
The woman pleaded with Perez to remove chicken soup from the oven. As she took the hot pot out of the oven, she threw the steaming contents at Perez, striking him in the neck and face, court records say.
Perez was inside the woman’s home for several hours before he left.
West Pittston police captured Perez in the area of Luzerne Avenue and Blackman streets.
Perez underwent a mental health examination and was found to be incompetent to face criminal charges. He was sent to a mental health facility for treatment.
After several months of receiving treatment, Perez was deemed competent to face trial in Luzerne County Court.
Perez opted to plead guilty but mentally ill to charges of burglary and attempted rape before Judge David W. Lupas.
Lupas ordered an evaluation of Perez by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board to determine if he meets the criteria as a violent sexual offender.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
Perez remains jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $250,000 bail.