Man pleads guilty to abusing elderly father-in-law

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·1 min read

May 17—WILKES-BARRE — A Larksville man admitted in Luzerne County Court on Friday he struck his mentally ill elderly father-in-law with a cane several times.

Harry David Kocher Jr., 60, of Pace Street, pled guilty to shoving, striking or threatens a care-dependent person before President Judge Michael T. Vough.

Prosecutors withdrew charges of simple assault and a second count of abusing a care-dependent person against Kocher.

Kingston police charged Kocher in June 2023, after the elderly man's daughter began noticing bruises on his body in May and June 2023.

Despite being divorced from the daughter, Kocher watched his father-in-law who has Alzheimer's disease inside a residence on South Welles Avenue, Kingston.

The daughter placed a hidden camera inside her father's bedroom that recorded Kocher spitting, yelling and striking the elderly man with a cane at bedtime, according to the criminal complaint.

Kocher admitted he struck his father-in-law during an interview with police, the complaint says.

Kocher is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. He remains free on $5,000 unsecured bail.