Former Schuylkill deputy coroner faces sexual assault of a minor charges

(Undated) — A former deputy coroner for Schuylkill and Carbon counties faces a new round of charges for unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault and other offenses.

The charges against Edward Smith follow his initial arrest for unlawful contact with a minor in September. At the time of the original arrest, investigators discovered images of a male child on Smith’s cellphone, according to a news release from the office of state attorney general Josh Shapiro.

Smith, 60, of Willing Street, Tamaqua, confirmed he knew the child and provided his name to investigators, the release states. Agents continued the investigation and interviewed the victim, who said that Smith had sexual contact with him multiple times when the victim was 14 and 15 years old.  

“This child was horrifically assaulted on multiple occasions,” Shapiro said in the release.  “I have zero tolerance for the sexual abuse of children in Pennsylvania and my Office will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who abuses children – no matter who commits the crime. Thanks to the thoroughness of the agents and prosecutors in our Child Predator Section, this criminal is behind bars.”

Smith’s sexual abuse of the victim began in 2015 and occurred at Smith’s home in Tamaqua. Smith paid the victim to pose for the photos Smith took on his phone and for sexual favors under the guise of receiving payment for legitimate work.

Smith is being held in pre-trial detention at the Luzerne County Prison in connection with his initial arrest. Bail in the new case was set at $250,000. A preliminary hearing for the latest charges is scheduled for Dec. 19.  

This story comes to us through a partnership between WITF and The Lebanon Daily News.