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FREELAND — Police in Freeland Borough charged a Kingston man with dragging an unresponsive man from an apartment building known as the Cottage Hotel in October 2022.
Joseph Patrick Siko, 59, of West Market Street, was recorded by surveillance cameras dragging Matthew Tanner outside the apartment building without calling 911 or rendering aid on Oct. 13, 2022, according to court records.
Tanner was found unresponsive and face down outside the apartment building on Washington Street. Tanner was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital – Hazleton where he was pronounced dead.
The condition of Tanner’s body showing lividity when he was pronounced dead suggested he died some time prior to emergency medical technicians arriving at the apartment building, court records say.
Police obtained a search warrant for video footage from the Cottage Hotel.
Footage showed Siko dragging an unresponsive Tanner down a hallway and stairs and placing the body outside on a sidewalk, court records say.
Police in court records say Siko by moving Tanner’s body hampered investigative efforts to determine how Tanner became unresponsive.
Siko is facing charges of abuse of corpse, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence. The charges were filed Tuesday with District Judge Daniel O’Donnell in Butler Township.