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Pocono News Section
85-Year-Old Arrested on Sex Charges
85-Year-Old Arrested on Sex Charges - Monday, April 6, 2009 at 6:12PM EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- It’s a sex crime that's shocked even seasoned veterans. An 85-year-old man turned himself in Monday. Prosecutors say he had sex with a 16-year-old boy. It’s the second arrest in this case.
Police says the 85-year-old had his sexual encounter with the teenage boy taped and downloaded to a computer. In exchange he allegedly gave that boy new clothes and new shoes.
Joseph "Pops" Gyuriska is sitting in a jail cell in Lackawanna County. What he's accused of doing has shocked people throughout the Scranton area. “It’s terrible, it’s horrible," said Frances Dibble
Dibble lives near Gyuriska's last known address, 840 Capouse Avenue in Scranton. It's also apparently where his son lives. “I can't even have my granddaughter walk the streets, because I'm afraid. She's 13 and I've got a 17-year-old," says Dibble.
In court papers prosecutors say Gyuriska had sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy in exchange for gifts. He was turned in by Joseph Burns, who was arrested last week. Burns allegedly filmed the encounter.
Neighbors call all the accusations disgusting. Ray Lavelle said, “I think they're horrendous. Anything, especially where children are involved, I just can't fathom it."
No one answered the door at the Gyuriska home. Neighbors say the suspect's age is the worst part. “85 is kind of pushing the limit, don't you think? I really can't, I can't fathom 85 -- I just can't fathom it," added Lavelle.
Sheriff John Szymanski says the case started with a routine juvenile court hearing, but expanded in a way they never thought. He says his office worked with the district attorney's office and detectives. “I've been in this business a long time -- and you think you've heard it all -- and then you hear something like this and it’s mind-boggling," he said.
Joseph Gyuriska also served as a school crossing guard in Dunmore. He's locked-up on $200,000 bail facing a slew of charges, including corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. | | |
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