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Jehovah's Witnesses Caught Sexually Abusing More PA Children, Prosecutors Say Jehovah's Witnesses Caught Sexually Abusing More PA Children, Prosecutors Say
Jehovah's Witnesses Caught Sexually Abusing More PA Children, Prosecutors Say Five men are accused of sexually abusing children in Pennsylvania, says the state Attorney General's Office.  All five suspects and their alleged victims are members of Jehovah's Witnesses congregations, AG Michelle Henry said in a release dated Friday, July 7.  The charges come just months after nine other Jehovah's Witnesses congregants were accused of similar charges in the Keystone State — four of them last October and five more in February, Daily Voice reported.  The suspects range in age from 45 to 61, and all but one are Pennsylvania residents, according to the A…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Toddler's Killer Captured By US Marshals In Philadelphia: Cops Toddler's Killer Captured By US Marshals In Philadelphia: Cops
Toddler's Killer Captured By US Marshals In Philadelphia: Cops A man accused of killing a 2-year-old Berks County boy was arrested by US Marshals in Philadelphia early on Thursday, July 6, according to authorities.  Charles A. Acosta, 25, was taken into custody in Tacony, Marshals said.  Acosta was caring for the 2-year-old victim, the boy's younger brother, and his own daughter while his partner and her daughter went out to pick up laundry on the evening of May 4, the Berks County District Attorney's Office said. Acosta called his girlfriend and told her to return to their Bern Township home after the child became "swollen and lethargic" an…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
MOST WANTED: Child Beater Sought By Police In PA MOST WANTED: Child Beater Sought By Police In PA
Most Wanted: Child Beater Sought By Police In PA A man who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of his child is wanted by the police.  Joseph Allen Hafner violated the terms of his probation in 2021, court records show. A warrant was issued by the Adams County Sheriff's Office on June 14, 2023.  Hafner beat his child, who was less than 6 years old in Sept. 2017, according to court dockets. He pleaded guilty to the related charges in Oct. 2019. He was sentenced to serve 15  to 30 months of confinement, followed by three years of probation, not to contact the victim or their family, pay various fees, and attend a drug and/or …

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Lancaster Caregiver Who Gave Baby 'Lasting Medical Issues' Learns Her Fate: DA Lancaster Caregiver Who Gave Baby 'Lasting Medical Issues' Learns Her Fate: DA
Lancaster Caregiver Who Gave Baby 'Lasting Medical Issues' Learns Her Fate: DA A Lancaster woman has been sentenced nearly two years after a 3-month-old infant was found barely breathing, according to the Lancaster City Bureau of Police. Kayla Tucker, 34, of the 500 block of N. Plum Street, pleaded guilty on Oct. 6, 2022, to three felony counts of aggravated assault and a felony count of endangering the welfare of children, according to an updated release by the Lancaster District Attorney's Office on Thursday, May 25, 2023.  The boy was originally found barely conscious and having trouble breathing in the 500 block of North Plum Street at approximately…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Kids Karate Sensei Nabbed For Sexual Assault, Police In Central PA Say Kids Karate Sensei Nabbed For Sexual Assault, Police In Central PA Say
Kids Karate Sensei Nabbed For Sexual Assault, Police In Central PA Say The same day a sensei and "chief ninja" was arrested on child sexual assault charges, it appears the 23-year-old 3rd degree black belt attended a karate graduation for children ages four through 12, according to Elite Martial Arts in Lewisberry's social media.  Devin Paul Hogue, of the 600 block Ridge Road in Lewisberry was arrested following "an investigation into a series of sexual assaults involving Hogue as the perpetrator," police announced on Monday, May 22, 2023.  Multiple child victims were identified by the police and Hogue was arrested without incident on Satur…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Newville Man Told 14-Year-Old Boy He 'Loved Him' Before Sexual Assault: DA Newville Man Told 14-Year-Old Boy He 'Loved Him' Before Sexual Assault: DA
Newville Man Told 14-Year-Old Boy He 'Loved Him' Before Sexual Assault: DA Disturbing details about repeated sexual assaults between a man and a child have been released by the Cumberland County District Attorney's office follow the conviction of a 60-year-old Newville man. Josiah "Ron" Christopher Becker was found guilty of the following on Friday, May 12, 2023 according to a release the following Monday: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age (2 counts). Sexual Assault. Corruption of minors - defendant age 18 or above guilty (10 counts). "The jury's verdict came at the conclusion of a two day trial in front of the Honorab…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Man Sneaks Into Sleeping Child's Bed For Sex Near Elementary School In Lancaster, Police Say Man Sneaks Into Sleeping Child's Bed For Sex Near Elementary School In Lancaster, Police Say
Man Sneaks Into Sleeping Child's Bed For Sex Near Elementary School In Lancaster, Police Say A 33-year-old Lancaster man would sneak into an acquaintance's home while they were out or asleep so he could have sex with their child, authorities announced in a release on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.  David Ray Lopez, would watch and wait, or call and make sure the parents were out before sneaking into the home and sliding into the child's bed— multiple times— between May and August of 2022, Manheim Township police detailed in the release.  After a third adult witnessed Lopez entering the home and knocking on the child's door— he fled and authorities were called, according to th…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Matthew Perry Gets 3K Years In PA Prison For Raping Children, DA Says Matthew Perry Gets 3K Years In PA Prison For Raping Children, DA Says
Matthew Perry Gets 3K Years In PA Prison For Raping Children, DA Says Could his sentence be any longer?  "Matthew Perry would have to live for 3000 years in order to pay his debt to society," Greene County District Attorney David Russo said.  A Western Pennsylvanian sharing the name of television's Friends star Matthew Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing— has been sentenced in connection to 13,143 felony counts of sex crimes against children, DA Russo announced on Tuesday, March 29, 2023.  Russo noted that over 2,190 of those counts were of “Rape of a Child under the age of 13”. Perry, who is currently 44-years-old was found guilty after a…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Lititz Man Who Faced Up To 339 Years In Jail Gets Much Lighter Sentence: DA Lititz Man Who Faced Up To 339 Years In Jail Gets Much Lighter Sentence: DA
Lititz Man Who Faced Up To 339 Years In Jail Gets Much Lighter Sentence: DA A 339-year sentence, for what? Well, Melvin Riehl Petersheim, 49, of Lititz, has admitted to raping children and on March 21, 2023 he got his final sentence.  Petersheim, who ironically lived on Integrity Drive, had been charged with raping and sexually assaulting four victims spanning from 2012 until 2021. Petersheim pleaded guilty to 27 charges Wednesday, according to the district attorney. The charges stem from a child welfare report sent to the Manheim Township police department by the Lancaster County Children & Youth in Nov. 2021. Interviews confirmed numerous instants of ab…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Lancaster Man Nabbed For Sex Crimes With Child: Authorities Lancaster Man Nabbed For Sex Crimes With Child: Authorities
Lancaster Man Nabbed For Sex Crimes With Child: Authorities UPDATE: Victor Rivera was taken into custody by Lancaster City Police Officers of C Platoon and the Criminal Investigation Division on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 4:05 p.m., according to an updated release on March 15.  ORIGINAL: The man pictured is wanted "for multiple sex crimes against a child" the Lancaster City/County Crime Stoppers announced on Tuesday, March 14.  The man is 56-year-old Victor Rivera, who is charged with the following according to police and confirmed by court records: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child Aggravated Indecent Assault o…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Child Abuser Gets Drunk With Kids Unbelted In Car, Crashing In Chambersburg: Police Child Abuser Gets Drunk With Kids Unbelted In Car, Crashing In Chambersburg: Police
Child Abuser Gets Drunk With Kids Unbelted In Car, Crashing In Chambersburg: Police A convicted child abuser got drunk and hopped behind the wheel of a car— with two children not using seatbelts, boosters, or car seats in the back— then he crashed into a utility pole in Chambersburg, police announced on Saturday, March 11, 2023.   Shane Arnaz Hockenberry Jr., 27, slammed his vehicle into a utility pole on the 500 block of Woodstock Road at around 5:38 p.m. on March 1, 2023, according to the police.  After the investigation, it was determined that the two children were not secured in the vehicle Hockenberry was taken into custody and was soon d…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Bruised Infant Found 'Facedown In Bathtub' After Mom Leaves Son With BF, PA State Police Say Bruised Infant Found 'Facedown In Bathtub' After Mom Leaves Son With BF, PA State Police Say
Bruised Infant Found 'Facedown In Bathtub' After Mom Leaves Son With BF, PA State Police Say A central Pennsylvania man is behind bars after an infant "was found face down in a bathtub," authorities detail in court documents obtained by Daily Voice.  An unnamed woman had left the 1-year-old boy in the care of her 25-year-old boyfriend Dontae Thomas in her apartment in the 1000 block of Hill Street in Chester Borough on Friday, February 10, Trooper Matthew Peacock explains in the affidavit of probable cause citing an interview Pennsylvania state police had with Thomas.  That morning, Thomas had been in bed with the infant when he noticed blood coming from the child's mouth…

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by Jillian Pikora