CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Walnutport man who sexually assaulted teen gets state prison

Morning Call - 6/30/2017

June 30--A mentally ill Walnutport man who sexually assaulted a teenager was sentenced to state prison Friday at a hearing in which he giggled at inopportune moments and a prosecutor argued he is a danger to offend again.

Andrew T. Hunsucker, 24, will serve nine months to three years in state prison, where he can receive the sex-offender and mental health treatment he needs, said Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden.

In March, Hunsucker pleaded guilty to indecent assault, a crime that will require him to register as a sex offender for 25 years. Defense attorney Joseph Yannuzzi hoped for a sentence that would allow his client to remain jailed in Easton, saying Hunsucker's problems stem from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

On June 3, 2015, Hunsucker was at his victim's Walnutport home when she asked him to leave so that she could go to bed, police said. When the teen, then 17, persisted, Hunsucker pinned her against a couch, tried to pull down her pants, and sexually assaulted her as she told him to stop, according to court records.

The case represented the second time Hunsucker has been investigated for sexual assault, though the first did not result in charges, said Assistant District Attorney Tatum Wilson. She said Hunsucker lacks insight into himself and showed no remorse for the harm he caused his victim.

"'I'm basically here for nothing,'" Hunsucker told an evaluator who interviewed him before sentencing, according to Wilson.

Hunsucker was charged last year after the girl confided to a school counselor. To investigators, Hunsucker initially denied any wrongdoing. But questioned further, he admitted the assault and said he regretted it, according to police.

In court, Hunsucker laughed lightly as the proceeding unfolded, shrugged and glanced furtively around the courtroom. A sister of his described a rough childhood punctuated by abuse and neglect, and Yannuzzi said Hunsucker has three times been hospitalized after suicide attempts.

When McFadden asked Hunsucker if he had anything to say, his response also was unexpected.

"Just one question," Hunsucker told the judge. "Am I going home today?"

riley.yates@mcall.com

610-554-8245

___

(c)2017 The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)

Visit The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) at www.mcall.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.