2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn

by twinkletoes Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:09 am

Gay Connecticut couple accused of raping adopted children will face trial

George Harasz, 49, and Douglas Wirth, 45, of Glastonbury, withdrew a deal with
prosecutors that would have given them suspended prison sentences and
probation, according to reports. The surprise move comes as new
allegations by three more adopted children surfaced Friday.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, April 7, 2013, 11:16 AM

2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn Abuse8n-3-web

2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn Abuse8n-3-web

Courtesy of Glastonbury Police Department

George Harasz (l.) and Douglas Wirth (r.), a married couple from Glastonbury,
Conn., were arrested in November 2011 following allegations by two of
their nine adopted children of sexual abuse.

The case of a same-sex Connecticut couple accused of repeatedly raping and
abusing two of their nine adopted boys is headed for trial.

Married couple George Harasz and Douglas Wirth of Glastonbury were supposed to
be sentenced Friday in Hartford Superior Court under a plea deal, but
instead withdrew from their agreement with prosecutors. The men had
already pleaded no contest in January to one felony count each of risk
of injury to a minor — a reduction from even more serious charges
related to sexual assault.

But in a surprise turn, the couple’s attorneys pulled them out of the plea in a bid to fully clear their names, according to CBS affiliate WFSB-TV.

If Harasz, 49, and Wirth, 45, had continued with the deal, they would have
been given suspended prison sentences and probation, WFSB-TV said.

But more allegations came to light Friday in the explosive case, and prosecutors said they also want to go to trial.

“I think the only proper resolution of this matter is to try it,” said prosecutor David Zagaja, according to the Hartford Courant.

2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn Abuse8n-1-web

2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn Abuse8n-1-web

www.wfsb.com

Douglas Wirth, 45, leaves Hartford Superior Court in Connecticut on Friday
after his attorney withdrew a plea agreement in a sex-abuse case.

Judge Joan Alexander agreed that a trial would be “in the interest of
justice. The facts must be shown and must be shown publicly.”

Harasz and Wirth adopted nine children — three sets of male siblings —
beginning in 2000, and ran a home-based dog breeding business called The
Puppy Guy.

The couple was arrested in November 2011 following a
police and state investigation of sex-abuse allegations. The children
were removed from the home.

Police said two boys, ages 5 and 15,
accused Harasz of sexually assaulting them. Harasz was initially facing
first-degree sexual assault and other charges, while Wirth had been
charged with third-degree sexual assault of the 15-year-old boy.

Their arrest warrants claimed the couple not only sexually and physically
abused the children, but also forced them to sleep in closets.

Other children in the home told authorities that they weren’t abused, and
prosecutors had agreed to a plea deal because they said a lack of
forensic evidence would make it difficult to prove all of the
allegations.

2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn Abuse8n-2-web

2 Unnamed Boys - 5 and 15 yo - (2011) / Charged: Adoptive parents, George Harasz and Douglas Wirth - Glastonbury, Conn Abuse8n-2-web

www.wfsb.com

George Harasz, 49, leaves Hartford Superior Court in Connecticut on Friday
following new allegations of abuse by his adopted children.

But now, three other children are claiming they were also abused, although
no new criminal charges had been filed Friday, the Hartford Courant reported.

One of the victims who spoke during the court hearing said sexual assault began when he was 6.

“They took turns raping me over and over,” he said. “Anyone who would do this to a child is a sick, demented person.”

Supporters of Harasz and Wirth also spoke Friday in defense of the couple. One of
their children, Carlos Harasz, said the accusers were lying and that the
abuse suffered was under previous foster parents.

Carlos Harasz added that the state Department of Children and Families “took the word
of an angry, damaged, disturbed boy and destroyed a family.”

Police have been ordered to investigate the latest accusations, and the parties are set to appear in court again June 5.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/gay-conn-couple-accused-rape-face-trial-article-1.1310010#ixzz2PpXFIzZL