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	Former Choir Director Charged after Being Seen with Children By Alyssa Schnugg Sun Herald [Florida] August 25, 2005 A former Port Charlotte church choir director, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1993 for sexually abusing a boy, was arrested Tuesday after being seen around children at an amusement park. Richard James Trepinski, 68, 4437 Parmely St., Charlotte Harbor, was charged with violating conditions of his probation by being found in an area where children congregate when someone reported seeing him at Kid Star Park on Aug. 19. Trepinski, the former choir director at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, pleaded no contest to molesting at least two children in the choir in April 1993. He received a 20-year prison sentence, but was released in April 2001. Trepinski was charged with molesting one boy during a choir trip through the western United States in the summer of 1991. Following the trip, Trepinski continued molesting the boy until he threatened to tell a year later, according to court records. Because he was sentenced before legislation was passed in 1995 forcing prisoners to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence, Trepinski was able to shave 12 years from his sentence with gain time. He was serving 15 years on sexual offender probation when he was arrested Tuesday. A witness, recognizing Trepinski, told investigators that he was at Kid Star Park "sitting and watching the children." According to the Charlotte County Clerk of Court Web site, Trepinski is being hospitalized, although Sheriff's Office spokesman Bob Carpenter would only say Trepinski was "still in custody." No bond has been set. Trepinski was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 15 years probation in April 2003. Despite the fact he signed a plea agreement, he tried to have the sentence appealed, saying he didn't realize he would receive such a long sentence, according to court reports. But the 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld the sentence imposed by Circuit Judge Donald Pellecchia. One of the victims received a $500,000 settlement in 1999 after suing the Catholic Diocese of Venice for failing to protect him from the abuse. Trepinski served his sentence at Zephyrhills Correctional Institution where he spent a large part of his time working as a clerk in the prison library. In his eight years there, he received only one reprimand of disorderly conduct, according to records from the Florida Department of Corrections. Trepinski also violated his probation by not notifying his probation officer that he had moved from his last known address. According to the report, he told a deputy he had been "thrown out" and had been sleeping in his car.
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