A 29-year-old Scranton man is being held in Lackawanna County Prison on $100,000 bail after detectives say they investigated a report of indecent assault involving a child under 13. Brendon Kapschull was taken into custody following a brief struggle with law enforcement, and he now faces charges stemming from two separate police departments.
According to The Times-Tribune, Scranton Police Special Victims Unit detectives launched their investigation on Sept. 3 after receiving a report of alleged indecent assault involving a minor. The same report states that Kapschull was taken into custody after a brief struggle with officers, though it does not specify when that confrontation took place.
Charges Span Two Police Departments
Scranton police charged Kapschull with felony and misdemeanor counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, the newspaper's report notes. As reported by WNEP, he is also facing charges of assault of a child under 13 and indecent assault of a child under 13.
Separately, Dunmore police filed additional charges against Kapschull, including aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault, resisting arrest and possession of an instrument of crime, the same Times-Tribune account states. WNEP's reporting likewise notes that Kapschull faces a resisting arrest charge attributed to Dunmore police.
Bail Set at $100,000 Ahead of November Hearing
As of Sunday, Kapschull remained in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, the outlet's report indicates. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 6 at 9:15 a.m., per the same account.
Under Pennsylvania law, indecent assault involving a complainant younger than 13 generally carries a first-degree misdemeanor grading unless specific circumstances elevate it to a third-degree felony, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The statute defines indecent contact with a complainant under 13 as one basis for the charge.
Child Abuse Cases Remain Common Statewide
Cases like this one are part of a broader pattern across Pennsylvania courts. From 2019 through 2023, 32,075 people were charged in 36,386 child abuse cases statewide, according to data compiled by the Pennsylvania courts system. Those cases resulted in 10,915 convictions over the same five-year period.
The courts' data also shows that 56% of defendants charged in those cases were between the ages of 19 and 35, while 23% faced charges of endangering the welfare of children. The figures were pulled from the Magisterial District Judge System and Common Pleas Case Management System covering Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2023.
