Hairdresser faces criminal counts in missing girl case

PITTSBURGH - A hairdresser was booked Monday on sex charges for her role in allegedly helping a middle-school student run away with a school security guard accused of having sex with the girl.

Judy Sokol, 57, of Duquesne, was arraigned on charges of statutory sexual assault and three counts of involuntary deviate sexual assault. She was being held at the Allegheny County Jail on $10,000 bail.

Sokol had been wanted in connection with the case of Tanya Nicole Kach, who ran away from home in 1996 and said she went to live with Thomas Hose, who was 24 years older.

Kach resurfaced last week after telling a deli owner that she had been living with Hose for the past decade.

In arrest warrants issued last week, authorities said Sokol cut and dyed Kach's hair to help conceal her identity 10 years ago. Sokol told authorities she allowed Hose and Kach to use her home, where they had sex for the first time, according to her arrest affidavit.

''The affidavit does not allege that she was involved in sexual behavior with a minor,'' Sokol's attorney, Angela Carsia, told reporters after the woman's arraignment.

Under questioning from detectives, Sokol said she knew Hose was involved in an ''inappropriate'' relationship with Kach, according to court documents.

A preliminary hearing for Sokol was scheduled for April 3.

Earlier Monday, a judge increased bail for Hose, 48, of McKeesport. Hose can leave jail only if he posts $10,000 bail, up from $2,000, wears an electronic monitor and stays away from Kach, the judge ruled.

Kach told police last week that she had been living with Hose for a decade. Hose was charged with statutory sexual assault and three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Kach's parents reported her missing on Feb. 10, 1996 - the same day she allegedly moved in with Hose.

Kach told police Hose kept her in a bedroom in the small two-story home in McKeesport he shared with his parents and his son.

She told police that soon after she moved in, Hose threatened to kill her if she attempted to leave, according to a police affidavit.

Hose's attorney, Jim Ecker, has said Hose didn't force Kach to live with him and that she was never held against her will.

''He has not had his side of the story told,'' Ecker said.