One of the four men accused of sex crimes involving a 13-year-old boy from Tamaqua entered a guilty plea Oct. 2 in Schuylkill County Court.

Matthew R. Delgado, 29, Tamaqua, withdrew a prior not guilty plea and entered a guilty plea to corruption of minors — sexual acts. Judge James Goodman sentenced him to nine to 23 months in Schuylkill County Prison.

After release Delgado will be on probation for two years for one count of indecent exposure. He will be on probation for one year for each of the following counts: one count of indecent exposure and two counts of indecent assault of a person under 26, with the terms to run consecutively, with his probation period totaling five years. Delgado must also perform 10 hours community service and will get credit for time served (203 days).

In the negotiated plea, the prosecution agreed to drop other charges, which included two counts statutory sexual assault of a victim between 11 and 16 years old and two counts involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person 16 or younger. Delgado must submit a DNA sample and will have Megan’s Law registration requirements.

Charles Raymond Joy, 59, Port Carbon, was charged with sex crimes involving the same victim. In July, Joy pleaded guilty to indecent exposure and indecent assault charges. Joy had also been charged with statutory sexual assault, indecent sexual intercourse and corruption of minors; those charges were dropped. Joy also was required to comply with Meghan’s Law registration.

The arrests of the four men began with the arrest of Dale Schimpf, 59, Frackville, in February 2019. Tamaqua Police Chief Thomas Rogers investigated that case, and through that investigation other participants came to light: Delgado, Joy and Brad Daniel Murphy, 26, Tamaqua. Delgado, Murphy and Joy were subsequently arrested on felony counts of statutory sexual assault of a victim between the ages of 11 and 16, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of someone less than 16; along with misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person less than 16. The defendants contacted the victim through a cellphone dating app called Grindr.

Schimpf and Murphy have not yet been scheduled for trial.