Alleged Victim Testifies in Police Chief's Indecent Assault Trial

A woman who says a northeastern Pennsylvania police chief sexually assaulted her has told a jury she felt she was in a relationship with the man more than two decades her senior when she was a 15-year-old junior firefighter.

Old Forge Police Chief Larry Semenza faces charges including indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a minor, according to court records.

The now-24-year-old alleged victim testified Wednesday that Semenza made her feel “special.”  She said Semenza bought her gifts and took her on trips as their contact evolved from friendship to fondling.

Semenza was previously a captain in the Old Forge Fire Department. His attorney says the woman was infatuated with Semenza and developed a “fantasy” relationship with him.

Prosecutors allege former police captain Jamie Krenitsky assaulted the girl beginning in 2004 when she was 15 and a junior firefighter. She said she had a sexual relationship with Semenza through 2007.

Krenitsky pleaded guilty last month to one misdemeanor count of indecent assault. A former borough firefighter pleaded guilty to a similar charge in December.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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