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Scranton, PA – Today, United States Marshal Martin J.
Pane announced the successful conclusion of Operation Safety Net III – an
initiative designed to verify the addresses of more than 1,300 convicted sex
offenders residing in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. This operation is the
direct result of The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, signed
into law July 27, 2006. The Act commemorated the July 27, 1981 abduction and
murder of 6-year old Adam Walsh. It designated the United States Marshals
Service (USMS) as the lead federal law enforcement agency charged with assisting
jurisdictions in locating and apprehending sex offenders who fail to register,
and pursuing convicted sex offenders who cross state lines to avoid their
registration requirements.
Beginning in February 2012, Deputy U. S. Marshals teamed with the Pennsylvania
State Police Megan’s Law Section as well as state and local police officers to
verify Megan’s Law addresses of 1,309 convicted sex offenders living in the 33
counties which comprise the Middle District of Pennsylvania. This number also
included the verification of addresses for 88 offenders classified as Sexually
Violent Predators.
13 individuals were found to be out of compliance with sex offender registration
requirements, and were arrested for violations of Megan’s Law. Those arrested
were:
- Scott Vosburgh – a 25-year old convicted sex
offender classified as a Sexually Violent Predator living in Carbon County.
The Lansford Police Department charged Vosburgh with this offense. He was
arrested by a local police agency in Lehigh County on an unrelated incident
on March 14th.
- Keith Pericoli – a 43-year old convicted sex
offender living in Lackawanna County. The Scranton Police Department charged
Pericoli with Megan’s Law violations. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in
Lackawanna County on February 27th.
- Richard Sherin – a 63-year old convicted sex
offender living in Luzerne County. The Pennsylvania State Police charged
Sherin with this offense. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in Luzerne
County on March 23rd.
- Tyrone Fair – a 56-year old convicted sex
offender originally from Elmira, NY – charged with sex offender registration
violations by the Elmira Police Department. Deputy U.S. Marshals found Fair
living in Dauphin County and arrested him on May 14th.
- Chris Peters – a 52-year old convicted sex
offender living in Cumberland County. On May 20th, Deputy U.S. Marshals
located Peters. On the same date, the Mechanicsburg Police Department
charged and arrested him on the violation.
- Ryan Break – a 23-year old convicted sex
offender living in Luzerne County. The Pennsylvania State Police charged him
with the violation. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in Luzerne County on
June 6th.
- Wade Shultz – a 33-year old convicted sex
offender from Kingfisher County, OK - wanted for sex offender registration
violations in Oklahoma. Deputy U.S. Marshals found Shultz living in York
County and arrested him on June 6th.
- Jose Correa – a 31-year old convicted sex
offender last known to reside in Cumberland County but with addresses in
Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. Two local police
agencies in Lancaster County charged Correa with Megan’s Law violations.
USMS task force members located Correa in Lancaster County and arrested him
on June 21st.
- Ralph Tolley – a 41-year old convicted sex
offender from Lackawanna County. The Pennsylvania State Police charged
Tolley with the violation. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in Lackawanna
County on June 22nd.
- John Karns – a 34-year old convicted sex
offender from Dauphin County. The Pennsylvania State Police charged Karns
with the violation. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in Dauphin County on
June 25th.
- Donald Cordell – a 35-year old convicted sex
offender from Franklin County. The Pennsylvania State Police charged Cordell
with the violation. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him near Hagerstown,
Maryland on July 9th.
- Byron Chisolm – a 37-year old convicted sex
offender from Dauphin County. The Harrisburg Bureau of Police charged
Chisolm with the violation. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in Dauphin
County on July 13th.
- Bryan Jurenec – a 25-year old convicted sex
offender formerly of York County. Deputy U.S. Marshals located Jurenec
living in Arizona. Marshals Service personnel in Phoenix, Arizona arrested
him on July 16th.
Four additional convicted sex offenders were found to be out
of compliance with Megan’s Law requirements. They were arrested on unrelated
criminal matters. Megan’s Law violations are pending with local law enforcement
agencies.
United States Marshal Pane stated, “The public should know that the Marshals
Service is committed to enforcing the blanket of protection that Megan’s Law and
The Adam Walsh Act provide to our citizens. Convicted sex offenders must know
this mission is given the highest priority within our agency. Operation Safety
Net III has ended, but our efforts to locate non-compliant sex offenders never
does.”
The following law enforcement agencies worked with the United States Marshals
Service in support of Operation Safety Net III:
- Pennsylvania State Police Megan’s Law Section;
- Pennsylvania State Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit;
- Carlisle Police Department;
- Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department;
- Dauphin County Adult Probation Department;
- Franklin County Sheriff’s Department;
- Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Department;
- Latimore Township (Adams County) Police Department;
- Lycoming County Sheriff’s Department;
- Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole;
- Union County Sheriff’s Department;
- York City Police Department; and
- York County District Attorney’s Office - Detective
Bureau
The Middle District of Pennsylvania is comprised of the
following 33 counties:
| Adams |
Bradford |
Cameron |
| Carbon |
Centre |
Clinton |
| Columbia |
Cumberland |
Dauphin |
| Franklin |
Fulton |
Huntingdon |
| Juniata |
Lackawanna |
Lebanon |
| Luzerne |
Lycoming |
Mifflin |
| Monroe |
Montour |
Northumberland |
| Perry |
Pike |
Potter |
| Schuylkill |
Snyder |
Sullivan |
| Susquehanna |
Tioga |
Union |
| Wayne |
Wyoming |
York |
Additional information about the
U.S. Marshals Service can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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