Valnn Dayne Spears was recently sentenced by the Honorable President Judge Margherita Patti-Worthington to a total of 44 to 168 years’ incarceration in a state correctional facility. Spears was found guilty of all criminal charges after a three day jury trial ending on December 7, 2018. He had been charged in 2 criminal cases involving 2 separate minor victims and was convicted of all 17 criminal charges including 2 counts of Rape of a Child and 2 counts of Involuntary Sexual Deviate Intercourse with a Child.
Detective John Bohrman of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department filed the charges after one of the minor victims made a report about the abuse to police. Detective Bohrman conducted a thorough criminal investigation, which included taking the 2 victims to the Monroe County Children’s Advocacy Center, a facility specially designed to interview and examine minor children who were victims of abuse. Investigation revealed that Spears had sexually abused the 2 minors over an extended period of time between 2008 and 2015 in Tobyhanna, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
Spears had relocated to the Poconos from New York, where he was employed as a teacher. He also ran workshops for the Regenesis Institute, which involved breathing and new age mediation techniques. Prior to that he resided in California, where he had a prior conviction for possession of forged prescriptions.
Prior to sentencing, Spears was evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, who found he met the criteria to be designated as a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP). The Board found that he engaged in predatory behavior and met the criteria for Pedophilic Disorder. However, the court did not hold a hearing to determine if Spears would be designated as an SVP because the Pennsylvania Superior Court had ruled that statute was unconstitutional. hat issue is currently on appeal with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Spears was represented throughout the criminal case by Attorney Eric Closs of the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Rakaczewski of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office under E. David Christine, Jr., the District Attorney.
Spears will be transferred from Monroe County Correctional Facility to a state correctional facility to begin serving his sentence of incarceration. He will also be required to register as sex-offender for the rest of his life.
If anyone has information or concerns about a minor being the possible victim of abuse or neglect please immediately call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
