William Rittenhouse, 51, remains held at Monroe County Correctional Facility after failing to post $5,000 bail; court records reveal a criminal history spanning more than two decades across three Pennsylvania counties

A 51-year-old East Stroudsburg man is behind bars at the Monroe County Correctional Facility after Stroud Area Regional Police say he spent more than a week sending threatening text messages to a woman, prompting the victim to walk into police headquarters and report the harassment in person.

William Rittenhouse was arrested on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 2:17 p.m. on an active warrant and charged with terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, a first-degree misdemeanor; simple assault, a second-degree misdemeanor; and harassment by communicating lewd, threatening or obscene language, a third-degree misdemeanor.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Officer Brandon C. Bingler, the victim arrived at SARPD headquarters at 100 Day Street in East Stroudsburg on Thursday, April 9, at 10:02 a.m. to report that Rittenhouse had been threatening her through text messages beginning on April 1, 2026, and continuing through April 8 — a span of eight days. Charges were filed and Magisterial District Judge Donald A. Johnson issued an arrest warrant on Friday, April 10.

Rittenhouse was taken into custody the following afternoon, transported to Monroe County Correctional Facility, and arraigned on Saturday, April 12, at 9:40 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Michael A. Wolbert, who set monetary bail at $5,000. Court records show Rittenhouse was unable to post bail and remains confined at the county jail. He requested a public defender at arraignment.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Wolbert. The incident is listed as occurring in Stroudsburg Borough, with the location noted as Scott Street.

The case is being prosecuted by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.

A criminal record stretching across the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley

A review of Pennsylvania court records reveals that the current charges are far from Rittenhouse’s first encounter with the criminal justice system. His history stretches back more than two decades and spans Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties, with a pattern that includes repeated assault, harassment, and trespass convictions.

• February 2003, Northampton County: Arrested on multiple charges including simple assault and harassment. Rittenhouse entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of simple assault and was sentenced to probation. The remaining charges, including a second assault count and a harassment count, were withdrawn.
• September 2008, Northampton County: Arrested on charges of harassment by subjecting another person to physical contact, harassment by following a person in a public place, and criminal mischief by tampering with property. All three charges were waived for court at the preliminary hearing stage. Rittenhouse pleaded guilty to all three before Judge Edward G. Smith and was sentenced to three months of probation on the harassment counts and 12 months of probation on the criminal mischief charge.
• November 2012, Pike County: Arrested on a simple assault charge. The case was resolved in August 2013 when he pleaded guilty before Judge Joseph F. Kameen and was sentenced to confinement with a minimum of seven days and a maximum of 12 months.
• 2016, Monroe County: Pleaded guilty to use or possession of drug paraphernalia in a case before Judge Brian Germano.
• 2018, Monroe County: Convicted of defiant trespass after being told to leave school grounds — a first-degree misdemeanor under Pennsylvania law. Sentenced by Judge Stephen M. Higgins to two to four days of confinement.
• September 2025, Monroe County: Pleaded guilty to a traffic signal violation.
• March 2026, Lancaster County: Three pending traffic citations filed by West Earl Township Police for running a stop sign, operating a vehicle without a valid inspection, and lacking evidence of emissions inspection.

Rittenhouse is presumed innocent of the current charges until proven guilty in a court of law.

Docket Number: MJ-43201-CR-0000096-2026.