By Phil Corso
A former Rochdale Village Little League coach pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually abusing teenage boys on his team, the Queens district attorney said.
According to Queens DA Richard A. Brown, David C. Hartshorn, 54, was arrested and charged in February 2011 with sexually abusing three boys, ages 13 and 14, at his home between July 2009 and August 2010 and also engaging two other teenage boys in a sexual act while he filmed them. He has been held without bail since his arrest.
The allegations came to light when one of the boys told his mother, who notified the police, Brown said.
Hartshorn pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of first-degree criminal sexual act, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual act and two counts of use of a child in a sexual performance. Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter indicated he would sentence Hartshorn to 18 years in prison at a sentencing on Sept. 28, Brown said.
“The defendant has admitted being a sexual predator who took advantage of his position as a Little League baseball coach to get close to young boys before sexually abusing them,” Brown said. “The consequences of his actions can have a lasting and profound impact on his victims — for that reason alone, the intended prison sentence to be meted out by the Court is more than warranted.”
Brown said police discovered several movies in various formats, including VHS and DVD, showing young boys engaging in sexual acts and images of young children less than 10 years old engaging in similar acts.
Hartshorn was also imprisioned in 1989 after he was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, the DA said.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
