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Two of the 17 men arrested by Kingston police on allegations they solicited a fictitious minor to engage in sex acts have pleaded guilty in Luzerne County Court.
				And at least one of the two face an assessment by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to determine whether they meet the legal criteria for classification as a sexual offender or a sexually violent predator under the state&rsquo;s Megan&rsquo;s Law.
				Only the withdrawal of the charge unlawful contact with a minor saved the first arrestee, Glen Michael Hannan, 52, of Bloomsburg, from being assessed as a sexual offender.
				Police in Kingston began the sweep of arresting people, all men, in June with Hannan being the first on June 9. All 17 men have been charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of communication facility. After the seventh arrest, police began adding criminal solicitation against several defendants.
				Those arrested were busted when they either arrived at a location where they believed they were meeting a 15-year-old girl or boy or at their residence without having any contact with a minor.
				So why charge someone with unlawful contact with a minor when there is actually no contact with a juvenile?
				Attorney John Pike, who is defending two of the 17 men, said a 2010 amendment to the unlawful contact with a minor statute permits a law enforcement officer to assume the identity of a minor.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very interesting question when there is communication with a minor but not really a minor,&rdquo; Pike said. &ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t actual contact but the statute was amended in 2010 that allows a police officer to take on the role of a minor.&rdquo;
				Various counts of unlawful contact with a minor have been filed against those arrested. Some have been charged with one count while others are facing additional counts of the same offense.
				Kingston Police Chief Richard Kotchik, who praised the efforts of Det. Stephen Gibson for initiating the online sex sting, said the number of counts filed against each defendant depends on what transpires during online communications and text messages.
				Affidavits of probable cause filed against each of the 17 defendants varies, with some allegedly detailing in graphic detail of sexual acts they wish to perform while others have expressed to commit less lewd acts.
				&ldquo;Every case is different and it depends on what they are saying and what they want to do,&rdquo; Kotchik explained. &ldquo;What acts they express they want to commit to this person are going to be held and those charges are going to be there.&rdquo;
				Kotchik said criminal solicitation charges began to be filed after conference meetings with the Luzerne County district attorney&rsquo;s office.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been meeting with the assistant district attorneys for some time and when they review each case, they recommend the charges that we could add,&rdquo; Kotchik said.
				Under the state&rsquo;s Megan&rsquo;s Law, those who plead guilty to unlawful contact or criminal solicitation to commit a sexual act are subject to an assessment to determine if they are a sexual offender or a violent sexual predator.
				Here is the latest on the 17 cases and where they stand in the court system:
				&#8226; Glen Michael Hannan, 52, of Bloomsburg, arrested June 9. Pleaded guilty Oct. 28 before Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough to criminal attempt to commit corruption of minors and criminal use of communication facility. Sentencing date Feb. 4.
				&#8226; Jesse J. Klick, 39, of McAdoo, arrested July 2. Pleaded guilty Oct. 23 before Vough to two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility. Sentencing date Feb. 4.
				&#8226; Seth Michael Salsman, 32, of Lewisburg, arrested July 7. Scheduled Nov. 23 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility. Four counts of unlawful contact with a minor were withdrawn by police at the preliminary hearing.
				&#8226; Nathaniel Lee Laubach, 25, of Millville, arrested July 29. Scheduled Dec. 8 for trial before Vough on two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility. Two counts of unlawful contact with a minor were withdrawn by police at the preliminary hearing.
				&#8226; David Rezykowski, 54, of Falls, Exeter Township, arrested Aug. 3. Scheduled Dec. 21 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility. Three counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of patronizing prostitutes.
				&#8226; David A. Dannecker Jr., 38, of Allentown, arrested Aug. 26. Scheduled Nov. 23 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on three counts of unlawful contact with a minor.
				&#8226; Earnest Lee Pittman Jr., 45, of Cresco, arrested Aug. 12. Case transferred to U.S. District Court, Scranton, after a federal grand jury indicted Pittman on Sept. 1. Pittman allegedly used equipment at his place of employment, a federal prison, to solicit a minor.
				&#8226; Gary Raymond Ceppa, 31, of Hunlock Township, arrested Sept. 10. Scheduled Nov. 9 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on 14 counts of unlawful contact with a minor, and one count each of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, criminal solicitation to commit aggravated indecent assault, criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault, criminal solicitation to commit indecent assault and criminal use of communication facility.
				&#8226; Robert Joseph Gair, 39, of Danville, arrested Sept. 11. Scheduled Nov. 9 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on charges of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of communication facility. Four counts of unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and one count each of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated indecent assault, criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault and criminal solicitation to commit indecent assault were withdrawn by police at the preliminary hearing.
				&#8226; Robert Lynn Henkel Jr., 54, of Hanover Township, arrested Sept. 15. Scheduled Nov. 10 for a preliminary hearing on five counts of unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and one count each of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated indecent assault, criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault and criminal solicitation to commit indecent assault.
				&#8226; Craig O. Larson, 49, of Barto, arrested Sept. 18. Scheduled Nov. 23 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility. Four counts of unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated indecent assault, and one count each of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault, and criminal solicitation to commit indecent assault withdrawn by police at the preliminary hearing.
				&#8226; Joseph Anthony Paone, 40, of Wilkes-Barre, arrested Sept. 24. Scheduled Nov. 10 for a preliminary hearing on four counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility.
				&#8226; John Slusser, 56, of Kingston, arrested Oct. 5. Scheduled Dec. 21 for a dispositional hearing before Vough on two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility. Charges of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, criminal solicitation to commit aggravated indecent assault, criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault and criminal solicitation to commit indecent assault withdrawn by police at the preliminary hearing.
				&#8226; Eric Ryan Gonzalez, 35, of Binghamton, N.Y., arrested Oct. 9. Scheduled Feb. 4 for a dispositional hearing before Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility.
				&#8226; Kenneth Charles Schmidt, 41, of Nanticoke, arrested Oct. 13. At a Nov. 4 preliminary hearing, waived two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility to Luzerne County Court. Two counts of unlawful contact with a minor were withdrawn by police. Dispositional hearing scheduled Feb. 4 before Sklarosky.
				&#8226; Paul L. Rissmiller, 44, of Bangor, arrested Oct. 23. Scheduled Nov. 10 for a preliminary hearing on three counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single count of criminal use of communication facility.
				John D. Sweeney, 34, of Wilkes-Barre, arrested Oct. 29. Scheduled Nov. 18 for a preliminary hearing on one count each of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of communication facility.

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Kingston police up to 17 arrests for online sex solicitation