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NEWPORT TWP. — A naked 60-year-old man was found hiding in the basement of a boy’s residence on East Enterprise Street where township police alleged he sexually assaulted the child on Sunday.
Richard Anthony Perugino, of Hanover Street, Nanticoke, told police he went to the house to hang out with the boy he met on an app that allows bisexual people to interact with one another, according to charges filed.
A family member of the boy allegedly found Perugino naked hiding in the basement of the boy’s home.
Township police said the boy claimed Perugino performed a lewd sexual act on him, charging documents say.
Perugino was arraigned Monday by District Judge Rick Cronauer in Wilkes-Barre on a single count of unlawful contact with a minor. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police responded to the residence at about 11 p.m. and found Perugino in the basement sitting in a chair being detained by another person. A woman was screaming at Perugino.
Police learned family members became concerned about the boy when a young girl became frightened by something she saw in the basement.
The family searched the basement where the boy has his bedroom.
Perugino was allegedly found wearing no clothes hiding in another basement room, the complaint says.
Perugino allegedly told police he met the boy on the app and went to the house “to hang out with him,” insisting nothing happened, according to the complaint.
Perugino claimed he was aware of the boy’s age before he went to the residence. He allegedly shook his head “yes” when asked by police if anything sexual had taken place with the boy, the complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on July 15 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.