Bristol Woman Accusing Cop Of Rape Offers Advice For Others

Bristol Borough native Ashley Spencer had recently moved to Cleveland for medical treatment when she says she met a police officer on dating app Tinder.

It was in October 2019. She was 29, ready to date, and getting accustomed to her new home city.

The Tinder profile of a young police Cleveland officer, Matther Piter, caught her eye, she told LevittownNow.com.

“I felt comfortable because he was a cop,” she recalled. “He talked about his patrol district, showed me his uniform.”

Spencer said she grew up around law enforcement and the fact that he was an officer made her feel at ease.

The two met up for the evening date, but she said he started drinking what she considered strong drinks at his house before they went out.

“Before drinking, I felt like he worked hard to build trust,” she said.

Spencer explained that she tried to keep her drinking light.

The pair went to Si Señor Mexican Restaurant on the west side of Cleveland, but she quickly began to notice the off-duty officer was drinking more and more. He also was attempting to get her to drink more, she recalled.

“He was aggressively drinking Redbull and Vodka,” she said. “I noticed he was trying to get me to drink more.”

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The two went back to his place, which Spencer now believes was a mistake.

At the officer’s house, Spencer said the officer forced himself on her and kept going even when she said ‘no.’

“‘Holy sh*t,’ I think. ‘He’s a cop. How am I going to get away?’”

Piter raped her before she managed to escape and run, getting away in a rideshare, Spencer said.

The woman managed to call 9-1-1 and report what happened.

Since the incident, Piter, 28, has been charged with rape for the assault on Spencer and a May 2017 incident involving another woman. He is free on bond with some restrictions, while pleading not guilty in court on Thursday morning.

Spencer said it is tough having to relive what happened, like at Thursday’s Cleveland court hearing, but she’s happy law enforcement did their job.

She’s more aware than ever of her surroundings and has returned to Bristol Borough, a place where she feels safe.

“I still get nervous around cops. I have trouble trusting authority figures now,” she said.

One of her concerns is that the officer may have victimized other women. Learning more about the second victim just this week, she said she sees similarities and wonders if he preyed on other women who trusted him because of his job in law enforcement.

Spencer wants to turn her nightmare into an opportunity to help others.

“As someone who is chronically ill, I try to take every negative and make it a positive,” she said.

Spencer aims to use her case as a platform. She is currently working toward a career as a public health advocate.

In her rape case, Spencer said her awareness of her surroundings the night of the alleged assault helped investigators and have led to witnesses that can testify at a trial.

Spencer urged men and women on dating apps to be aware of their surroundings, meet their date in a public area, tell friends and family what they are planning to do, decline to go back to someone’s house on the first date, and don’t be afraid to get away.

Morris Derry, who leads local nonprofit No More Pain Inc., is partnering with Spencer to help her spread her message of awareness.

He said he is hoping his group can raise local awareness of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and what the warning signs are.

“People can relate to Ashley’s story. We think we can make a difference,” he said.

For Spencer’s part, she said her journey is just beginning.

“It’s not over. I don’t want this to happen to another woman.”

LevittownNow.com has a policy of not naming victims of sexual assault and rape, but Spencer came forward and consented to sharing her story with the public.

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