Suspect in rape case worked for local company going door-to-door: Cops

Bensalem, Pa. (WTXF) - It's customary for companies to run background checks on new employees. A Bucks County company is coming under fire tonight for possibly failing to do just that.

"Did you do a criminal background check on him?" FOX 29's Jeff Cole asked the CEO of the company.

"Thank you for your time, sir," Bill Siveter with Platinum Advertising said.

The CEO Platinum Advertising of Bucks County was not interested in talking when we stopped by to ask about 23-year-old Christopher Henneghan, of Delaware County, who was charged last week by Bensalem police with rape and indecent assault at knife point of a young woman.

"I'm actually surprised that this Platinum Advertising would hire someone with that kind of record," Bensalem Police Director Frederick Harran said.

Harran says Henneghan told police when arrested that he was working for Platinum Advertising going door-to- door trying to convince homeowners to change their energy company.

Pennsylvania regulators require Platinum and other companies which do door-to-door solicitations for energy companies to perform criminal background checks on its workers.

Even before committing the alleged rape records show Henneghan has one. Records show a 2015 guilty plea to aggravated assault., a 2014 guilty plea to false identification to law enforcement officer and a 2013 guilty plea to criminal trespass and break-in.

"It surprises me that anybody would allow this person to have access to anyone's homes or go door-to- door," Harren said.

When we first met with Platinum last week, its COO said Henneghan had applied to the company, but had no sales and he wasn't sure he'd actually worked for them.

He later emailed to say he wasn't sure that information was correct and emailed again to say Platinum would have "no further comment."

Remember, Harran says Christopher Henneghan told them he was working for Platinum and it also rented the apartment he was living in.