Motion to modify guilty plea denied
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A Washington County judge denied a motion Wednesday that would have allowed a South Carolina man to modify his previously accepted guilty plea.
William R. Strauch, 51, formerly of Canonsburg, appeared before Common Pleas Judge John F. DiSalle in an effort to have his plea modified so he wouldn’t have to register as a sexual offender in his current home state of South Carolina.
Strauch was arrested in October 2012 after he was accused of exposing himself and fondling two girls. One girl told police she was 10 or 11 years old when the first incident took place, and the alleged assaults occurred between 1999 and 2002. The other accuser told police the alleged sexual abuse started when she was 3 or 4 years old.
Strauch was tried on a host of sex charges in June 2013, but the jury could not reach a verdict after a four-day trial. Instead of being retried, Strauch accepted a plea agreement Sept. 8, in which he pleaded guilty to two counts each of endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and indecent exposure. He was sentenced by DiSalle to 30 days in Washington County jail, followed by 17 years of probation. Strauch was also prohibited from contact with the victims, is not to reside with minors and must undergo mental health treatment. Strauch’s probation was to be transferred to South Carolina.
As a condition of the plea agreement, Strauch did not have to register as a sexual offender. However, South Carolina probation says he must. Brian Gorman, one of two attorneys representing Strauch, said during the hearing Wednesday he believes the indecent exposure charges are to blame for the conundrum.
“Corruption of minors is not a sexual offense. Endangering the welfare of children is not a sexual offense,” he said.
Gorman was hoping to have those charges modified, although he admitted he was not confident if the change would rectify the problem. Gorman, in court, said he and deputy district attorney Traci McDonald reviewed both Pennsylvania’s and South Carolina’s statues before crafting the agreement.
DiSalle denied the motion, stating he had no control over the way another state interpreted the charge. McDonald agreed.
“We have no control how (South Carolina) law enforcement applies it,” she said during the hearing.
Gorman declined to comment after the hearing.