Scranton police arrested a registered sex offender Monday, charging him with failing to register with state police a motorcycle he was riding that’s owned by another registered sex offender, officers said.
Officers Nicholas Philbin and Tyler Michel encountered Edward C. Holmes, 62, who is a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, on Sept. 26 after he parked a motorcycle in the woods along Laurel Line Drive to use the bathroom, leading officers to discover he had not registered the motorcycle with Pennsylvania State Police’s Megan’s Law registry despite operating it, according to a criminal complaint. Holmes, 840 Jefferson Ave., Floor 2, Apt. 2, Scranton, was convicted of third-degree rape in New York in 1992, according to his Megan’s Law entry.
In their arrest paperwork, Philbin and Michel said they were patrolling center city when they spotted a blue motorcycle parked in the woods on Laurel Line Drive, which is not often traveled. As they exited their vehicle, Holmes approached them to say he was driving the motorcycle and had pulled off the side of the road to use the bathroom. Officers told Holmes it was suspicious, and they were checking to make sure the bike wasn’t dumped or stolen, according to the complaint.
Holmes agreed it looked suspicious and provided his ID and registration for the motorcycle, explaining the bike belonged to his neighbor, who let him ride it, according to the complaint. Police looked up the motorcycle’s registration and learned it belonged to Chauncey Kenyon, who is also a registered sex offender. Kenyon was convicted of aggravated indecent assault in 1999 and is currently incarcerated at Lackawanna County Prison, according to the Megan’s Law registry.
Holmes told police he visits Kenyon in prison, and Kenyon asked him to keep his motorcycle safe while he was in custody; Holmes said he took custody of the motorcycle two days after Kenyon was arrested, which police later determined was June 4, according to the complaint.
He told officers he “has driven the motorcycle a few times” and was riding it that day because his own bike was broken. Officers noted in their arrest paperwork that Holmes has no vehicles registered to him, “so it was unclear which ‘bike’ he was referencing,” according to the complaint.
On Sept. 30, Detective Taylor Dunn reviewed Holmes’ Megan’s Law documents and confirmed he had not reported the motorcycle, nor any vehicle, to his registration. As a sex offender, Holmes is required to report any change in information related to any vehicle that he owns or operates within three business days, according to police. Holmes failed to report the motorcycle to state police, violating his Megan’s Law requirements, according to the complaint.
Holmes is charged with one count of failure to register with state police. He remains in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail with a preliminary hearing Oct. 27 at 9:15 a.m.