Bicyclist who groped strangers in Scranton gets home confinement

Joseph Kohut, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read
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Mar. 15—SCRANTON — His eyes locked on a woman seated feet away in Lackawanna County Court, Michael Frazier said Wednesday he's not the same person who accosted her nearly two years ago.

"I don't know why I did it," Frazier said. "I can't go back. All I can do is move forward."

Senior Judge Vito Geroulo sentenced the 21-year-old to four to 23 months of incarceration, but will allow him to serve the minimum end of the term on home confinement with electronic monitoring.

The Scranton man faced the judge nearly two years after police said he slapped or groped four women in Scranton and Taylor while he rode by his bicycle.

One woman, who told the judge Wednesday that Frazier accosted her and her daughter while they walked along the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail in June 2021, said he "disrespected her and me in the most heinous way."

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual abuse.

Initially charged with indecent assault, Frazier pleaded guilty in December to four counts of simple assault. He also pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct stemming from a separate domestic dispute involving his girlfriend.

During Wednesday's hearing, Frazier stood and apologized directly to a victim who attended.

His public defender, attorney Daniel Lipson, said Frazier had been at a "low point" in his life and used substances when he committed the crimes. He has since achieved his general education development diploma, obtained his driver's license and has a warehousing job with The Home Depot.

He's gone through counseling and worked to better himself, Lipson said. Geroulo noted Frazier's efforts and said he had a difficult upbringing.

However, the judge said the offenses were made worse by the fact that the women Frazier accosted were strangers. The randomness of the acts helped foster a sense of public anxiety.

"Someone walking along the heritage trail has a right to relax," Geroulo said.

As part of his sentence, Frazier must also spend 27 months on probation.

Geroulo credited the 30 days he already spent behind bars toward the balance of his sentence.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.