Oct. 22--He's been portrayed as a master manipulator who abused a teenage girl's trust to satisfy his sexual needs.
On Monday, Larry Semenza painted another picture: that of a caring mentor whose kindness was misconstrued as romance by an impressionable teen.
Jurors in the suspended Old Forge police chief's sexual assault trial may begin debating the conflicting portraits as early as today as the defense is expected to wrap up its case by mid-afternoon. Chief Semenza concluded his direct testimony late Monday and will return to the stand for cross-examination by prosecutors this morning.
The chief is on trial on charges he sexually abused the girl from 2004 to 2007, starting when she was 15. He was charged in May 2012 after the woman, now 24, came forward with allegations against him and two other men.
Testifying for nearly two hours, Chief Semenza, 49, described himself as a mentor, likening himself to a Little League coach. He acknowledged he purchased gifts for the girl, who served as a junior firefighter, but insisted the items were merely a means for him, as captain of the Fire Department, to express his gratitude for her hard work.
His body turned so that he could speak directly to jurors, the chief repeatedly answered "no, never," when his attorney, Peter Paul Olszewski Jr., asked if he ever kissed or fondled the girl, as she and several other witnesses have testified.
He calmly answered most questions, but became incredulous when asked if he had ever touched the girl's genitals as they lay beneath a blanket on a couch at the fire station, as she claims.
"Absolutely not," he chief replied. "Why would I sit on a couch in the day room of a fire house and sexually assault a 15-year-old girl?"
He later turned to sarcasm when asked if he had even gotten "hot and heavy," passionately kissing the girl in the fire house kitchen, as the alleged victim and one of her friends testified.
"Did that ever happen?" Mr. Olszewski asked.
"I was as hot and heavy with (the girl) as I was with Walter Chiavacci," Mr. Semenza replied, referring to former firefighter and key prosecution witness who alleges he saw the chief intimately touch the girl.
Accompanied by her mother, the alleged victim sat stoically as the chief testified. She showed little reaction, occasionally shaking her head from side to side as he spoke. The Times-Tribune does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.
Mr. Olszewski has questioned the woman's credibility, noting she filed a federal lawsuit against the chief and others related to the alleged sexual assaults. He only briefly touched on that subject Monday, however, as Judge Vito Geroulo limited his questioning on the matter.
Mr. Olszewski instead focused on a secondary explanation for why the woman would fabricate the allegations: she was infatuated with Chief Semenza and was upset he did not feel the same.
Testifying last week, the woman said she was "in love" with the chief, and viewed some of gifts he gave her as a sign of their romantic bond.
The gifts included a Maltese cross, a popular symbol with firefighters, and a special ring that was featured in the movie "Ladder 49," a love story involving firefighters that the chief had taken her and other firefighters to see.
Asked if he knew the girl viewed the ring as a symbol of their love, Chief Semenza replied he had no idea. He had given her the ring, he testified, but it was a Christmas present, one of several he purchased for firefighters that year.
Chief Semenza also acknowledged he gave her the cross, but said he did not buy the item. He had an extra one at home, and gave it to her as a reward for winning a firefighters' skill contest, he said.
He repeatedly denied other allegations, including Mr. Chiavacci's statement that he witnessed the chief jimmy a bathroom door lock so he could watch the girl shower. His reply seemed to imply that someone other than him could have done so, however.
"She's a 15-year-old girl in a fire house. ... People come in and out all the time," he said.
The chief did admit to one allegation: he did have sex with a female Old Forge police officer while the pair were out of town. The officer testified last week she felt pressured into the act. Chief Semenza did not address those allegations, however.
Throughout the trial, Mr. Olszewski has repeatedly cited inconsistencies in testimony of some of the witnesses, including Mr. Chiavacci, who was also charged with abusing the same girl on one occasion in 2004. Mr. Chiavacci pleaded guilty to indecent assault and is awaiting sentencing.
Called by the defense, Cpl. Ben Clark, who interviewed Mr. Chiavacci and the alleged victim, acknowledged Mr. Chiavacci initially denied he saw Chief Semenza touch the girl, but later changed his story. Mr. Chiavacci also said the chief gave the alleged victim a necklace. She has never said she received a necklace as a gift, however.
Asked if those inconsistencies did not hurt Mr. Chiavacci's credibility, Cpl. Clark said Mr. Chiavacci was more concerned about his own charges when first interviewed, which may explain why he was not entirely forthcoming. As for the gifts, Cpl. Clark said he felt that was a minor discrepancy.
"Over the course of time people remember things differently," he said.
Other witnesses called Monday included former Old Forge Mayor Anthony Torquato, current mayor Michelle Avvisato and borough Fire Chief Mark Tagliaterra. Each said no one ever told them they suspected the chief of abusing the girl.
The trial will resume 9 a.m. today.
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Copyright 2013 - The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
