Edward R. Kotwica, 51 and the father of two teen-age sons, committed suicide when he was struck and killed by a commuter train two blocks from his home on Wednesday morning. He was arrested about nine hours earlier on charges that he touched the breasts of a member of the girls’ basketball team several times in Garfield High School since 1996.
James Maxwell, 49, is charged with coercing a 10 year old girl to participate in phone sex. Elaborately chronicled and illustrated fantasies about his friends’ children were found in his house. According to the New York Times, he was not accused of having any physical contact with the girl but was charged with aggravated sexual assault. He was in the Passaic County jail in lieu of $200,000 bail.
Governor George Pataki signed a law that increases the number of criminal offenses under which convicts will have to submit samples of their genetic code to 107 from 21. The expanded database includes kidnappers, burglars, arsonists and drug dealers. This will give law enforcement more power to convict criminals and to exonerate the innocent. Other offenses now included are: gang assault,
attempted murder, sodomy, intimidating a witness and criminal use of a firearm.
Newsday/Graham Rayman
Anthony Rivera, 23, of Far Rockaway, was charged with sex abuse, menacing, and drug and weaponspossession. He forced women to fondle him at knifepoint. He was arrested shortly after his thirdattack on Monday night. In one incident, he allegedly put a knife to a 14 year old’s neck andthreatened her. He placed the knife on her stomach, grabbed her hand and forced her to fondle him.The other two victims were 21 and 22 years old.
Joseph Crosier, 31, of East Meadow, was arrested and charged with seven counts of first-degree promoting a sexual performance of a child and seven counts of possession of child pornography. He allegedly transmitted photographs of young girls being sexually exploited and seemingly raped by men. Crosier allegedly transmitted these images to more than 60 fellow AOL subscribers. If convicted, he could face as much as 7 years in prison on each count of promoting and 3 years on each count of possession and be required to register his address as
Jonathan Panepinto, 30, pleaded guilty to charges of six counts of sodomy and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. The former Brentwood elementary school special education aide was sentenced to three months in jail and five years probation for having sex with a 14 year old New Jersey boy he met online. He was also ordered to undergo sex offender treatment and to register with the state as a sex offender.