6 times • JANUARY 14, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Middle Village man busted for trying to solicit sex from teen BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@ridgewoodtimes.com @robbpoz He tried to lure a teenage girl into a tryst, but wound up getting an undercover detective. A Middle Village man was charged Friday in an online sting for using an AOL chat room to solicit sex from a 14-year-old girl, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced. Though Joseph R. Sylvester, 51, believed to be chatting with a teenager, authorities said, he was interacting with a member of the NYPD Vice Enforcement Major Case Team. According to the charges, Sylvester first contacted the undercover agent at 10:52 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2015, claiming to be a 50-yearold man. When the detective claimed to be a 14-year-old girl and asked to exchange pictures, authorities said, Sylvester sent a picture of himself to the agent, who then sent Sylvester the photo of an undercover female officer. Sylvester and the agent continued to exchange messages until after midnight; the messages were sexual in nature, according to Brown. At the end of their chat, the undercover agent provided Sylvester with a cellphone number; the agent received a text from the suspect shortly thereafter. Prosecutors said Sylvester and the undercover agent engaged in additional explicit instant messages between Nov. 24, 2015, and Jan. 5 of this year. Following the initial exchange, authorities noted, Sylvester asked to meet with the teenager; he was arrested on Jan. 5 upon arriving at an undisclosed, pre-arranged location in Queens County. He was charged with second-degree attempted rape, criminal sexual act, attempting to disseminate indecent material to minors and attempted child endangerment and faces up to four years behind bars — and be required to register as a sex offender — if convicted. “This case underscores the crucial importance of Internet surveillance initiative by law enforcement to protect children from sexual predators and should serve as a warning to parents to closely monitor their children’s Internet access and activities,” Brown said. “Despite numerous publicized arrests for exactly this type of alleged behavior, sexual predators continue to be relentless in searching the Internet for victims. Do not let your child become one of them.” In statements made to police, Sylvester allegedly admitted to exchanging instant messages with underage girls prior to his arrest, using the email armystrongnyataol. com. Any parent who knows that their child engaged in online chats with the person at that email address should call the Queens District Attorney’s office at 718-286-6590. File photo The former gym teacher at Grover Cleveland High School found guilty of having sexual encounters with two underage Ex-Ridgewood teacher gets probation for sex trysts with two teens BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The former gym teacher who was found guilty last year of having sexual relations with two 16-year-old students at Ridgewood’s Grover Cleveland High School was sentenced last week to serve 10 years’ probation. Joy Morsi pleaded guilty on Friday, Jan. 8, in Queens Supreme Court to one count each of rape and criminal sexual act charges and must attend an out-patient program for a diagnosed depressive disorder, the New York Post reported. If Morsi fails to complete her mandatory mental-health treatment, she faces up to one and a half years in prison as well as five years post-release supervision, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. It was reported in January 2015 that Morsi admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old on the wrestling team at Grover Cleveland High School and exposing herself and performing a sex act on a different 16-year-old student. Morsi reportedly began a yearlong affair with the student-athlete in June 2013. The ex-teacher continued the relationship with the underage boy until she discovered that the he had asked a girl to the school prom. She then enticed a second student, not long after the first illegal relationship ended. Morsi had to register as a sex offender as well as forfeit her teaching license. students was sentenced to 10 years’ probation. Family dog killed while child watched BY KIRSTEN E. PAULSON editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @RidgewoodTimes A Jackson Heights man is facing charges of aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly throwing his girlfriend’s Chihuahua to the floor during a verbal dispute in front of the woman’s daughter. Prosecutors said Carlos Hernandez, 32, of 73rd Street in Jackson Heights got into an argument with his girlfriend at her home in Forest Hills on Jan. 10 at around 4:15 p.m. During the dispute, Hernandez allegedly grabbed the Chihuahua out of her hands and slammed it to the floor, causing it to bleed from its ears, collapse on the floor, and die minutes later. His girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter, who was the dog’s caregiver, witnessed the incident. Hernandez was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, fourth-degree criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison. The arrest was announced Jan. 11 as Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced the creation of a special unit in his office dedicated to prosecuting animal cruelty cases. “Such acts of aggression toward animals cannot — and will not — be tolerated,” Brown said.
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