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JOHN DECKER jdecker@leader.net
Wednesday, January 26, 2000 Page: 9A
HAZLETON – The city man arraigned early Tuesday morning on charges he
sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy once worked as a juvenile detention
officer in Florida, police said.
Police Chief Ed Harry said information arose during the investigation that
the accused, Glen Joseph Polacek, also molested the teenager and his
10-year-old brother when they lived in the Cocoa, Fla. area.
Polacek admitted he and the older boy sexually stimulated each other but
denied accusations of other types of sex, police said. The 28-year-old Polacek
also stated he knows he needs help and said he does not want to molest young
boys again, police said.
Polacek is not related to the boys or their parents. Harry described a
living arrangement in which Polacek, of 34 E. Cranberry Ave., stays with the
family as a “tenant.”
The family and Polacek moved to Hazleton in September.
Harry said Polacek will not be charged locally for the alleged assault on
the younger boy because none of those incidents occurred in Hazleton. However,
Harry said he will call the Cocoa Police Department to inform them of the
allegations and that it will be their decision whether to pursue charges.
A spokeswoman for Cocoa police said they have no record on Polacek. A check
of the Florida State Attorney’s Office revealed minor violations, including a
bad check, the spokeswoman said.
Rick Bedson, superintendent at Brevard Regional Juvenile Detention Center,
Cocoa, acknowledged that Polacek once worked there but referred all other
questions to a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice media specialist, who
did not return a message Tuesday.
Polacek was employed locally at a national office supply store, Harry said.
Polacek, who remains at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack
of $100,000 bail, declined an interview Tuesday. He is charged with
involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and corruption of
minors.
The older boy told police Polacek started molesting him about three years
ago and had been performing various sex acts on him approximately four times a
week since they moved to Hazleton.
According to the affidavit:
The teenage boy said he and Polacek would masturbate each other and, on
several occasions, Polacek performed sex acts on him.
Call Decker at 829-7222. Polacek