By Marcia Moore
The Daily Item
May 09, 2008 06:32 am
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LEWISBURG — A 28-year-old Milton man said he was sexually abused for three years in the 1990s by retired Bucknell University professor Jack E. Harclerode in his campus office.
The man testified during a preliminary hearing Thursday in Lewisburg.
Defense attorney Peter Campana, of Williamsport, asked District Judge Leo S. Armbruster to dismiss the six counts of felony involuntary deviate sexual intercourse since the allegations occurred between 1992 and 1995 and are beyond the statute of limitations.
Armbruster gave both the defense and District Attorney D. Peter Johnson five days to file written briefs on the law before he rules on the case against Harclerode.
The young man looked at Harclerode, who was seated nearby next to his attorney, as he testified about weekly sexual encounters that took place between the summer of 1992 when he was 12 until September 1995.
All but one of the incidents happened in Harclerode’s office at Bucknell University, where he was employed as a biology professor for 32 years until 1997. One incident allegedly took place in a barn at Harclerode’s home.
Campana questioned the young man about his motives for coming forward and whether he intends to file civil charges with the aim of a financial payoff.
The young man said he decided to come forward with allegations against Harclerode after learning of his arrest last spring for molesting a 10-year-old Lancaster boy at a Columbia County campground.
Under cross-examination, the young man said he’d had no contact with Harclerode from 1995 until last year when he called the retired professor to ask about buying a rifle.
Campana asked the judge to dismiss the case, citing the commonwealth’s lack of evidence showing the charges were filed within the statute of limitations.
Johnson said the law was amended in 2002 allowing victims of sexual deviant intercourse 12 years from their 18th birthday to criminally pursue an alleged abuser.
The law has since been changed expanding the 12 years to 32 years.
Armbruster will rule on the charges after reviewing the defense and prosecutor’s arguments.
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Photos
Jack E. Harclerode