Man pleads guilty after obscene calls

HERMITAGE, Pa. (AP) -- A man has pleaded guilty to a charge he made obscene phone calls to a woman who grew so fed up with them she tracked him down, cornered him and caught him in the act.
Fred Marini, 43, of Hermitage, pleaded guilty Thursday to harassment and was sentenced to one year's probation and fined $300 for making a series of early-morning calls to Jamie Kurelko for about three months.
Marini turned himself in March 24, four days after Kurelko, 26, of Sharpsville, and family members staked out a phone booth where they had traced the obscene calls with the help of a phone company.
According to police, Marini regularly called Kurelko on Friday and Saturday between midnight and 3 a.m.
Her efforts earned Kurelko some national media attention, but also a rebuke from authorities in Mercer County.
"She was smart but this was a crime and somebody could have gotten hurt," said Assistant District Attorney Robert Kochems.
Kurelko agreed her actions were potentially dangerous but said she just wanted the calls to stop.