Rapper accused of rape during Pittsburgh party
PITTSBURGH — A Cranberry Township man who is an up-and-coming rapper in the Pittsburgh music community was arrested early New Year’s Day on charges he allegedly raped a woman at a house party.
According to Allegheny County court documents, Dalton Dezarn-Meinert, 20, was arrested by University of Pittsburgh police officers on charges of suspicion of rape and providing false identification to law enforcement authorities.
Dezarn-Meinert, who graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 2012, is a hip-hop rapper in Pittsburgh who goes by the stage name Diesel D. He released his first mix album, “Lessons in Progression” in December 2011 and has several of his songs on the music website soundcloud.com.
Dezarn-Meinert was arrested at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday following a brief foot chase through a home in the 300 block of Atwood Street in Pittsburgh.
The court report states that the alleged victim was attending a house party at the residence where Dezarn-Meinert was arrested when Dezarn-Meinert reportedly grabbed her by the wrist and forcibly took her into an alley behind the residence where he allegedly raped her. The woman told police investigators that she told Dezarn-Meinert “no.”
The woman — who is not being named by the Butler Eagle — ran home and contacted a friend, who court documents list as having reportedly witnessed the woman being forcibly taken outside into the alley by Dezarn-Meinert.
According to the police report, Pitt police officers were taking the victim to a hospital when the woman said she saw her alleged attacker sitting on the front porch of the home where the alleged rape occurred.
Police approached Dezarn-Meinert, who fled before being arrested. Dezarn-Meinert was taken to the Allegheny County Jail where he was booked.
As of Thursday, Dezarn-Meinert was still in jail on $100,000 bail.
