CLEARFIELD – The Curwensville baseball coach charged with sexually assaulting two boys waived his right to a preliminary hearing during centralized court Wednesday.
Thomas Patrick Harzinski, 48, became the subject of an investigation after two victims told an adult about the assaults which allegedly occurred at a hotel in Pittsburgh, a campground in Williamsport and at Harzinski’s home in Olanta, Knox Township.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the victim’s father became suspicious of Harzinski after his 16-year-old son “shut down” in response to a request that he baby-sit for Harzinski and stay the night with him.
The teen told his father that Harzinski had touched him inappropriately three or four times. Another victim, an 11-year-old boy who heard this, stated Harzinski had touched him four to six times.
In an interview at the Child Advocacy Center on March 20, the first victim said Harzinski touched him four times last year at his residence.
The first time occurred after Harzinski allowed him to play a baseball game on his phone. He said Harzinski told him to take his pants off and then stroked him.
He reportedly told the teen to “just let it happen. It’s fine, no one will ever know.”
At another time Harzinski assaulted him while he was babysitting for Harzinski’s daughter. While the girl was sleeping, he grabbed the victim by the wrist and forced him to remove his pants, the teen said.
There were two additional times that Harzinski did this, the victim reported.
Harzinski bought the victim a pack of baseball cards and told him “you owe me big time.” He tried to buy the victim other items but he told investigators he declined because he “did not want to owe Harzinski anything.”
Also, on March 20, the second victim was interviewed at the CAC.
He said Harzinski took him to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game and they decided to spend the night. He told the boy he would take him to the Pittsburgh Zoo in the morning.
At the hotel, Harzinski “forced him to undress and lie on the floor nude.” He then touched him and performed a sex act on the victim who said he “did not want to do it.”
Harzinski then reminded him that he bought him a Pirate blanket, a shirt, a watch, and had taken him places, so he had to allow him to do this.
This victim related that Harzinski assaulted him at the Little League World Series in Williamsport and at his apartment in Curwensville three to five times.