KIT OUT! PANDED lassified Section ® Money-Saving Coupons Vol. 112. No. 29 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & Dallas, Pennsylvania 50 Cents AN QS I VAN SR OF ONO Mu 0 J BSN I 2 fl HO bs July 18 to July 24, 2001 l Accused child molester released next day on bail By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff DALLAS TWP. - A Dallas man was free on bail one day after he was charged with molesting a 15-year-old boy. Bryan Kocis's parents used real es- tate as collateral for the $75,000 bail Friday, according to a source at the Luzerne County jail. District Justice James Tupper set bail Thursday during Kocis's arraignment. Permit laws being ignored q Even large parties should get okay from zoning office By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent LEHMAN TWP. - Ignorance is no ex- @cuse before the law, even when local zoning rules are violated. “It has been my experience that when contacting an individual about the fail- ‘ure to secure the proper zoning permit for an item constructed or an event held, his or her usual response is, ‘I didn't know I needed a permit,” said Charles E. Bartlett, zoning officer for Lehman Township. Failure to obtain a zoning permit is a olation of the zoning ordinances of Lehman Township and may result in the imposing of a fine. Obtaining a per- mit for construction or for holding an event is not just a revenue item for any municipality. Unapproved and unsu- pervised work or gatherings may cause health, safety and legal issues that one may not think about in the excitement of doing something new on your proper- ty or hosting an annual picnic. Bartlett points out some scenarios @ here failure to go through the permit review process may cause a related in- cident or accident. “Resurfacing on your property may cause unwanted or obstructive drainage on an adjacent property, or you may accidentally cross over property lines. Digging a hole with- out the knowledge of the location of utility lines and pipelines is not only dangerous, but it may disrupt the flow Cd power and water in your neighbor- ood. Placing a sign on your property may affect the visibility of drivers going up and down your street and cause an accident. And last but not least, host- ing a large group of people may pose See PERMITS, pg 8 Dallas Township police and investiga- tors from the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office spent several hours Thursday searching Kocis’s residence at 60 Midland Drive for evidence. Kocis has lived there for more than 12 years, said neighbors. : Kocis, 39, is charged with rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated in- decent assault, indecent assault, invol- untary deviate sexual intercourse, cor- ruption of minors, sexual abuse of chil- dren, and unlawful contact or commu- nication with a minor. According to court papers the 15- year-old victim, of South Whitehall Township, met Kocis through the inter- net. They met on-line in an AOL chat room called male to male. Kocis, who operates Cobra Video Company, an adult video company that sells videos via the internet, allegedly promised the boy a modeling job when he turned 18. Kocis asked the boy to send him “dirty” photos which the boy did. In May, the boy told police Kocis picked him up and took him to the Dal- las Township house. Once they entered the residence, Kocis showed the boy his studio in the basement. The two sat on the couch in the basement and Kocis allegedly showed the boy pornographic videos, after which some of the alleged sexual acts took place. Kocis told the boy he had the video cameras on and they were going to do a “little show.” In early June, Kocis again picked the boy up and took him to 60 Midland Dri- Drumming up business Lake-Lehman football players and cheerleaders raised money on Saturday with a car wash at Noon’s Service Station on the Memorial Highway. Football players, from left, Dave Strenfel, Mike Mully, Jim Mahon, and Matt Galka know have a good time while working hard. More photos on page 6. POST PHOTO/HEATHER B. JONES Back Mountain artisans’ handiwork on display @ with three-dimensional By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent BACK MOUNTAIN - The Endless Mountains Council of the Arts Gallery in Tunkhannock was the setting recent- ly for the opening reception of an exhib- it honoring Northeastern Pennsylvani- a's master clay and textile artists. Ten rtisans are featured at the gallery; two of them, Richard Fuller and Skip Sens- bach, are from the Back Mountain area. Richard Fuller, Dallas, is a master textile artist and retired professor from Wilkes University. “My love for teaching and a fascination with’ indigo resist dye processes have served as guiding forces in my careers as an artist and educa- tor,” said Fuller. “I am a surface design- er and pattern artist who enjoys work- fabric forms.” The techniques and materials used in his work are derived from a traditional Japanese resist dye technique called shibori, which means to wring, squeeze or press to manipulate cloth. “I lived and studied in Kyoto, Japan,” said Fuller. “This experience sparked my in- terest in this Japanese process of fabric gE tlishment. My current work re- ects my interest in the nuances of col- or, light and surface with repeated pat- terns which shift and contrast against dark and light surfaces.” 1, POST PHOTO/SANDY PEOPLES Richard Fuller worked at his desk in his Dallas home. His shibori prints are on display through July 31 in Tunkhannock. The finished product takes the form of framed, multi-sectional wall pieces. The beauty found in these indigo pat- terns, like flowers, requires time to ap- preciate. 3 While at Wilkes University for 31 years, Fuller served as a Professor of Art and Chairperson of the Art Depart- ment. He holds a BS degree in Art Edu- cation from New York University and an MA from Columbia University. He now holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Art at Wilkes. His works have been shown and giv- en awards in many regional and state juried exhibitions. In 1994 he was invit- ed to have a one person show at the University of Scranton. His work hangs in private collections throughout Penn- sylvania and New York. Many of his lat- est creations are available for sale at the Endless Mountains Gallery. Fuller lives in Dallas with his wife, Cheryl. They have two children and one grandchild. : Skip Sensbach, Lehman, is a master clay artist whose interests and talents lay in the multidimensional art form of clay pottery. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kean University in New Jersey. “I studied painting and other art forms,” said Sensbach, “but the forms, textures and dimensions of clay hold my interest the most because it is a functional form of artistic expres- sion.” For the past five years, Sensbach has worked in his basement workshop molding mounds of clay into beautiful ‘vases, coffee mugs, plates, bowls, can- dle holders and more. “You have to con- sider the predominant use of a piece of pottery and understand the ergonomic needs of the user in order to make the See ARTISANS, pg 8 ve. The boy told investigators he was under the impression Kocis had a job for him packaging video cases, and he would be paid for his services. Kocis took the boy into the living room to show him a tape he recorded from Showtime called “Queer as Folk” and engaged in a sexual act. The boy said Kocis then offered an open can of soda. The boy told authorities that after drinking the soda he felt really tired See OUT ON BAIL, pg 8 Meeting will decide fate of Lake Twp. cops By HEATHER B. JONES Post Staff LAKE TWP. - The Lake Township Board of Supervisors have scheduled a meeting Thursday, July 19 to discuss disbanding the township police force. Inadequate finances are cited as the reason supervisors are discussing dis- solving 'the force, said David Walkowiak, supervisor chairman. He estimates police services cost the mu-_ nicipality $100,000 each year. Current- ly, the township police force consists of two full-time officers and one officer who works 32 hours a week. The issue was first brought up in No- vember and December but never went any further, Walkowiak said. At that time, the township was able to obtain two grants which totaled $10,000 for the police force. If Lake Township does disband its department, residents will call the Pennsylvania State Police in an emer- gency situation. Walkowiak said he talked to officials in Ross Township and Union Township and there has not been a problem with those two munici- palities calling the State Police. Walkowiak said the price of every- thing has gone up, but the municipali- ty is still operating on the same budget. Lake Township has not raised taxes since 1972, he said. The thought of dissolving the police force is alarming to Brenda Kittle. She said when she asked the supervisors at a recent meeting why they were going See LAKE TWP. POLICE, pg 8 16 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar... viii 16 Classified.............covunnn 11-15 CrossSWOrd....i.....:..covivevens 16 Editorials... cine: icin vraisvs 4 ObIUBHES.......iiininiiinis 2 SONOOIS. .ivviiviiiiniiiniurnnasss 10 SPOS. .cvcovidivesis RR 9, 16 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@ epix.net Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612
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