Kroeger sentenced
BY JOHN ZICK GATEHOUSE MEDIA

BATH - A former Prattsburgh man who sexually abused a 14-year-old boy then fled the state after his arrest was sentenced Wednesday, April 15, to 4.7 to 14 years in state prison.

Anthony P. Kroeger, 48, pleaded guilty in Feb. to use of a child in a sexual performance and second-degree bail jumping. Had he been convicted at trial, he would have faced up to 19 years in state prison.

"I told you I'd give you a long lecture, but I don't know that it would do any good," Steuben County Judge Joseph Latham said Wednesday. "I expect you to obey the law (when you are released). You will be in prison a long time."

Prosecutors reached the plea agreement with Kroeger to avoid having the young victim testify at trial.

"The compromise here was a long prison sentence and protecting the victim," said county Assistant Distict Attorney Brooks Baker. "This represents justice in this context."

Baker described the relationship between Kroeger and his victim as one of trust. He said Kroeger is a smooth talker who has the ability to gain someone's confidence.

"That's something he's good at - generating trust and then abusing that trust," Baker said. "The crime he's charged with is disturbing. The evidence is more disturbing."

Beyond breaking the trust of the victim and the victim's family, Kroeger was able to persuade someone to post his $25,000 bail after his arrest in Oct. 2006. According to police, Kroeger was caught in the act abusing the boy.

Kroeger was indicted on more than a dozen felonies related to the abuse in June 2007, but in Oct. 2007, Kroeger fled the state, becoming a fugitive from justice. By missing a court appearance, Kroeger's bail was revoked and forfeited, meaning the person who posted the bail lost the money.

Kroeger avoided capture until late Dec. 2007 when he was arrested in Carrollton, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb. He was captured after his roommate called police after typing Kroeger's name into an Internet search engin e. By doing that, the roommate discovered Kroeger was wanted in New York.

Kroeger will go before a parole board to determine his release after he serves his minimum sentence.

"We hope he will be gone for a long time," Baker said.