Luzerne Boro man convicted of sexting teenage girl

Oct. 17—WILKES-BARRE — Sending sexually explicit online messages to a teenage girl had life-changing consequences for a Luzerne Borough man.

Gerald James Horro, 27, of Bennett Street, is subject to a lifetime registration of his address under the state’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act for his actions.

Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. of Luzerne County sentenced Horro to nine months to two years in the county correctional facility on a charge of criminal solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault. Horro pleaded guilty to the charges on July 9.

Pennsylvania State Police in Wilkes-Barre charged Horro in January after the girl’s mother reported inappropriate messages between her daughter and Horro. A neighbor of the mother raised concerns about the girl sitting on Horro’s lap, which led to the discovery of the online messages, according to the court.

Investigators found online messages between Horro and the girl that were sexually explicit and began from Aug. 8 to Aug. 11, 2023, according to court records.

Horro denied touching the girl during an interview with investigators and blamed alcohol for his behavior, court records show.

“This is a very serious case, the probable cause statement speaks for itself,” said Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle.

The affidavit goes into detail about the sexually explicit messages.

After reading a letter from the girl, McMonagle said it was clear the explicit messages had an impact on her. The girl wrote that she blamed herself.

“Totally unacceptable behavior,” Sklarosky told Horro, who was also sentenced to two years of probation.