PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — In light of the alleged Penn State sex scandal, some local lawmakers and a victim of abuse are calling for changes in Pennsylvania laws.

The goal is to better protect children and the group is calling on the state attorney general to step up those efforts.

Alicia Kozakiewicz was just 13 years old when an internet predator lured her hundreds of miles from her home in 2002. “At age thirteen, I was lured and abducted from my Crafton Heights home by a sadistic internet predator,” Kozakiewicz added. “He transported me to Virginia where he held me captive — raping and torturing me, chained and starving in his basement dungeon.”

Kozakiewicz hopes her story will lend weight to the efforts of state representatives who want the state attorney general to report more about sexual predators to local police.

“The attorney general shall notify local law enforcement agencies within 24 hours of a suspect being identified with child abuse video or images in their district,” State Representatives Dan Deasy explained.

While Internet predators did not appear to be at issue in the Penn State case, organizers say that has yet to be determined and they countered the argument that the attorney general may not be able to share information that is not proven or still under investigation.

“The folks who are exploiting these children — these graphics, it’s not even child porn; these are crime scene photos,” Former Congressman Patrick Murphy added, “that’s already — number one a crime. They’re already committing a crime by having access to it and pushing it out over the internet.”

State Representatives Dan Deasy and Dan Frankel are pushing for the bill and plan to introduce it in the house next week.

The attorney general’s office has not yet commented on the proposal.

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Continuing Coverage Of The Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal
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