HUNLOCK CREEK, Pa. — A Luzerne County man caught in an online child sex sting tried to make a quick getaway Friday by punching the police officer who arrived to put him in handcuffs, police said.
Martin Sorber’s flight was short-lived. The 69-year-old Hunlock Creek man soon found himself in the custody of the Kingston Township police, facing allegations of sex crimes and a charge of assault.
According to a criminal complaint, the story that ended with Sorber allegedly striking Sgt. Michael Hunzinger’s face began several days earlier with an email exchange between Sorber and a detective posing as person trafficking a 13-year-old girl.
The topic: setting up a sexual rendezvous with a teenager.
Sorber, who described himself in the email exchanges as a volunteer firefighter, planned to meet with the child Friday afternoon. Authorities said he arrived at a pre-determined spot with sex items.
Instead of meeting with a young girl, Sorber found himself confronted by Hunzinger.
“(Hunzinger) identified himself as a police officer and instructed Sorber to place his hands on his head,” stated an affidavit filed by Kingston Township Officer Robert Vojtko and Wyoming Area Regional Police Detective Alexandra Nolan.
As Hunzinger grabbed on to Sorber’s left hand, Sorber punched the officer with his right hand, police said. He tried to flee the area, but did not get far.
Magisterial District Judge Michael G. Dotzel arraigned Sorber on Friday evening. Dotzel remanded Sorber to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility without bail, believing Sorber “is more likely than not to disobey any conditions imposed,” according to court filings.
Sorber’s docket does not reflect that he has an attorney. He is tentatively scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Oct. 1.
