Five men charged in prostitution sting in New Kensington, Arnold

Five men, including a 78-year-old and two 60-somethings, are facing charges after Arnold and New Kensington police arrested them Monday morning for soliciting an undercover officer posing as a prostitute.

Rudy De Meo, 78, of Leishman Avenue, and Jean Berube, 59, of Fifth Avenue, both of Arnold, were arraigned Monday at District Justice Frank Pallone's office and charged with patronizing prostitutes, a misdemeanor.

Harry Hessom, 62, of Allegheny Township, Paul Scekeres, 61, of Latrobe, and Shawn Runski, 22, of Sinclair Street, New Kensington, have not been formally charged but will receive summonses by mail, according to authorities.

The arrests were a result of a cooperative effort between the Arnold and New Kensington police departments in an attempt to rid their communities of prostitutes under the Weed and Seed program.

Weed and Seed is a state-sponsored revitalization program that aims to force street crime out of blighted areas, and replace it with economic prosperity and a stronger community network.

Arnold and New Kensington are in the second year of the program, although the program wasn't announced to the public until October.

Although the times and places vary, prostitution stings are not uncommon in Arnold and New Kensington, Arnold Police Chief Ronald Hopkins said. This is the third such operation since Weed and Seed started between the two departments, and the Arnold Police conducted a fourth with assistance of state police.

He said he was not surprised by the number or ages of those arrested.

"When the weather gets a little warmer, (prostitutes' customers) seem to become a little more visible," Hopkins said. "This one was pretty successful."

Hopkins said DeMeo and Berube "gave us difficulty" during the arrests and were immediately arraigned.

Both were released in lieu of $5,000 unsecured bonds.

De Meo's and Berube's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. Thursday before Pallone.