Central PA Sex Offenders Verified for Compliance

SCRANTON – Yesterday, 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