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Petula Clark will be in Wilkes-Barre’s ‘Downtown’ on Wednesday

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Freeland man skipped sentencing date for vacation

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A softball coach was told Friday he must register his address for 25 years as a sexual offender for having a sexual relationship with one of his teen players.</p><p>Before Charles Steven Kearney, 53, was sentenced, Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough asked him about his own daughters.</p><p>&#8220;How would you feel if your two daughters were having sex with a 50-year-old man?&#8221; Vough said, who didn&#8217;t wait for Kearney&#8217;s answer.</p><p>Vough sentenced Kearney, of Scranton, to one year, less one day to two years, less two days in prison on charges of sexual assault by a sports official, corruption of minors and indecent assault. Kearney pleaded guilty to the charges Aug. 9.</p><p>The sentence permits Kearney to serve his sentence at the county correctional facility. Kearney must also serve five years on probation when he is released.</p><p>&#8220;You were her coach and she looked up to you and you decided to have sex with her,&#8221; Vough said.</p><p>Kearney was an assistant softball coach for a travel team in Lackawanna County.</p><p>State police began an investigation in early March when the girl&#8217;s father questioned his daughter, who resides in Ashley, about how much time she had been spending with Kearney. The father said he discovered disturbing text messages on his daughter&#8217;s phone.</p><p>Kearney and the girl exchanged multiple text messages on Facebook Messenger.</p><p>The girl told her father she was having a consensual relationship with Kearney and the relationship began in July 2017.</p><p>Investigators interviewed the girl who often met with Kearney at the &#8220;Millie,&#8221; an isolated area consisting of hiking paths and waterfalls in Ashley. She told investigators they had sex on a ledge near the Millie, in her house, in Kearney&#8217;s vehicle and when Kearney took her to his house in Scranton.</p><p>Assistant District Attorney Nancy Violi said prosecutors agreed to a plea agreement with Kearney to avoid having the girl relive the relationship if she had to testify.</p><p>&#8220;He violated the trust of not only the girl and her parents, but other players and their parents,&#8221; Violi said.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_Charles-Kearney-2-11092018-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Charles Kearney is led out of the Luzerne County Courthouse on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_Charles-Kearney-2-11092018-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Charles Kearney is led out of the Luzerne County Courthouse on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Ed Lewis | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Softball coach sentenced for having sexual relationship with teen player