Ex-music teacher accused of assault
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A retired music teacher now faces charges he groomed and molested a boy starting in 2007.
Richard P. Kuiawa, 78, of 2111 16th Ave., was taken into custody Wednesday by Altoona police and arraigned on felony and misdemeanor charges that include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age and unlawful contact with a minor stemming from allegations levied by a 26-year-old man that Kuiawa sexually assaulted him between 2007 and 2011.
On March 7, 2007, the then-14-year-old boy first met Kuiawa while walking around the neighborhood, shoveling snow for people, according to the charges filed Wednesday.
The boy knocked on Kuiawa's door to ask if he needed any snow shoveled, and Kuiawa allegedly told him, "You're an angel sent to me from God."
The alleged victim told police he helped shovel out Kuiawa's car so the man could get to an appointment, and Kuiawa told him if he came back a few hours later and shoveled snow in the back of the house, he would pay him.
Police said the boy and Kuiawa talked, and the boy told him he was interested in music. Kuiawa told the boy he was a music teacher, and the two struck up a deal where Kuiawa would give the boy piano and voice lessons in exchange for doing chores around his house.
Kuiawa, who according to Mirror archives taught music in the area, allegedly started grooming the boy.
It wasn't long after the music lessons started that Kuiawa told the boy he was a homosexual, and the alleged victim said the subject was then brought up more frequently as time went on.
Kuiawa allegedly started making what the alleged victim described to police as inappropriate advancements, and he started to get more physical with the then-14-year-old boy, according to the charges.
Police said Kuiawa took advantage of what was described as "a tumultuous home life" by making disparaging statements about his family and father, in particular.
Kuiawa gave the boy a key to his house so he could come and go as he pleased and also gave him gifts, such as athletic shoes, clothing and a laptop. The alleged victim said Kuiawa also took him on trips, to concerts in Pittsburgh as well as to Fallingwater and Horseshoe Curve.
It was at the Horseshoe Curve that Kuiawa insisted the two hold hands, police said.
In the fall of 2007, when the boy was about to turn 15, Kuiawa "started getting very intimate with him," Altoona police Detective Sgt. Terry Merritts noted the boy told him during the investigation.
This included having the boy lay on the floor where Kuiawa would tell him to stare into his eyes. Kuiawa would also play VHS tapes of homosexual pornography and ask the boy if "it did anything for him."
In the fall of 2007 while the boy was taking a nap on a chair at Kuiawa's home, he was encouraged by the man to go to his bedroom because it would be more comfortable. The boy said that after he did, Kuiawa walked in, removed the boy's clothes and performed oral sex and masturbated.
The alleged victim said he was sexually assaulted again a few weeks later and then a final time a few months later.
"I was only 15. I didn't think about it, I just did it," the alleged victim told Altoona police as to why he did what Kuiawa told him to do.
The alleged victim said Kuiawa referred to him as his "boy toy" to some male friends that the boy was introduced to and that he made references about their relationship as "meant to be."
When the boy started high school, he told Kuiawa he didn't want to be involved with any more sexual encounters, police noted.
The alleged victim told police Kuiawa discouraged him from having a girlfriend when he started to date a girl, and that Kuiawa told him to stay away from women. When the boy was planning to go away to college, Kuiawa allegedly tried to discourage him, police said.
The alleged victim joined the military, and he said it was then that he learned that his teenage years were quite different than others he had met in the service. When he came back to the area several years ago, he vowed to stay away from Kuiawa, police added.
Kuiawa's bail was set at 10 percent of $100,000 by Magisterial District Judge Ben Jones, who also attached conditions to Kuiawa's bail that include no unsupervised visits with minors and no contact with the alleged victim.
A preliminary hearing is slated for Wednesday at Central Court.
Mirror Staff Writer Greg Bock is at 946-7458.