By Mike Schnitzel
Detective Sgt. John Cowie said that Kowalczyk had chatted extensively over the Internet and on the telephone with a 14-year-old Suffolk County boy, who grew alarmed by Kowalczyk's persistence.
Police said that Kowalczyk began corresponding with the boy in an America Online instant message chat room in October 2005. According to police, Kowalczyk communicated with him numerous times, and asked him to engage in sexual activity. Then he began calling the boy on his cell phone and making similar requests, according to police.
"The kid got scared because Mr. Kowalczyk was persistently trying to engage [him] in sex," Cowie said.
Suffolk County Police arranged for Kowalczyk to surrender on Nov. 16, through his lawyer, Anthony Rattoballi.
Subpoenas were used to obtain the screen name and telephone numbers Kowalczyk used to contact the boy, and police traced those leads back to their source, Cowie said. He added that at least one of the phone calls to the boy had come from the Clear Stream Avenue School, where Kowalczyk works the night shift.
Larry McGoldrick, superintendent of Valley Stream District 30, which includes Clear Stream Avenue, said that Kowalczyk would not be back at the school until the matter was resolved. "He will not be allowed to return to work until the case is appropriately adjudicated," McGoldrick said.
Kowalczyk, who has worked at the school since 2002, underwent a fingerprint and background check mandated by the state before being hired by the district, McGoldrick said. The background check turned up nothing unusual, and Cowie said that Kowalczyk has no prior arrests, according to police records.
"He's never been arrested before," Rattoballi said. "He was released of his own recognizance and he's only charged with a Class-A misdemeanor."
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
