BUTLER TWP — An alleged rape victim showed little hesitation during her testimony at a preliminary hearing Thursday about the Easter weekend incident.

The defendant, Zantae W. Weltner, 22, of Butler, was brought from Butler County Prison to appear before District Judge Kevin O’Donnell Thursday. He is in jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.

O’Donnell moved forward all charges against Weltner, even after the lead charge of rape was changed to felony attempted rape.

He also is charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and aggravated indecent assault, as well as misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint and reckless endangerment.

The alleged victim remained calm and answered questions in short order as she described the events beginning the night of April 16.

The victim said she arrived at the 11th Frame Bar and Grille around 11:30 p.m., where she remembered specifically drinking two beers and one shot of alcohol. She said she had also drank two beers at a different bar earlier.

The victim said she eventually encountered Weltner, with whom she mutually flirted, but soon the interaction became uncomfortable for her.

“He stood beside me at one point and gave me a kiss,” said the victim of the unexpected gesture.

She said she did not initiate the kiss, and a moment later, Weltner flashed his phone in front of her face, revealing a photo of his exposed genitals.

“I was taken aback by it,” the victim said.

The victim said Weltner asked her multiple times to come home with him.

“I said that I was going home alone,” she testified.

The victim said she had arranged a ride home with a friend, and she wanted to leave but the friend wanted to stay. She said she decided to walk the two miles home instead.

During cross-examination, Weltner’s attorney, Michael Zunder, asked why the victim would opt to walk home, by her own estimation taking about one hour, as opposed to waiting for her friend to take her home.

“(I wasn’t leaving) to get home,” the victim said. “It was trying to get away from the situation.”

The victim said as she tried to exit, Weltner stood in the doorway, again asking her to come home with him. She said she again told him no. She said she walked uphill toward an area with abandoned trailers, and Weltner followed her.

“I could hear him bum-ushing behind me,” she said. "He ran in front of me and tripped over the pile of logs.”

The victim said he offered her a ride with his friends, and she again told him she wasn’t leaving with him. She said she turned to get away from him.

“He came up from behind me and hit me in the back of the head,” the victim said. “I fell face-first on the ground.”

The victim said she tried to crawl toward the road, but Weltner pulled her behind a bush. She said he stopped for a moment and moved around the bush. She said she thought the encounter was over, but Weltner came back.

“It was like he was checking to see if anybody heard him,” she said.

The victim said Weltner then pinned her head to the ground, first with a forearm, but then as she continued to struggle, he put one hand on the back of her neck and hit her with the other. She said Weltner claimed to have a gun.

"He told me to shut up and stay still,“ the victim said.

The victim said Weltner eventually pulled her pants down and violated her. She said she continued to scream.

“We heard from someone down at the 11th Frame and car horns beeping,” the victim said.

The victim said Weltner fled, and she made it to a bouncer who assisted her. She said EMTs evaluated her at the scene.

"I was then taken to the hospital where they did a rape kit,“ she said.

The victim said she suffered multiple injuries in the alleged act, and she described them in detail in court. Butler Township Det. David Fish took photographs at the hospital, which were shared in court.

No further motions or arguments were made toward the charges; however, Zunder asked for his client’s bond to be reduced to a lower dollar amount or unsecured bond with pretrial supervision.

Zunder said Weltner also has a great deal of family support, and noted Weltner’s mother was in attendance.

“He doesn’t have a history of this type of behavior,” Zunder said. “The defendant has significant ties to the community.”

Assistant District Attorney J.P. Kulzer said due to the latest charges, Weltner is also being held in jail on a probation detainer.

In 2020, Weltner pleaded guilty to misdemeanor unlawful dissemination of intimate images and was sentenced Jan. 21, 2021, to 18 months of probation.

Kulzer said the severity of the alleged crime also merited the bond.

“This was a vicious attack, unprovoked,” Kulzer said.

O’Donnell maintained the bond and scheduled Weltner’s formal arraignment for July 19 in Butler County Common Pleas Court.