Assault charges against
Perzel’s son could be expunged

State Rep. John Perzel’s teenage son, charged with assaulting a Philadelphia police officer during a melee in South Philadelphia, has been accepted into a program for non-violent, first-time offenders.
Sam Perzel, 18, will appear on April 4 at the Criminal Justice Center for an update on his case.
On Friday, Assistant District Attorney Jill Fertel and defense attorney Joe Canuso appeared in front of Municipal Court Judge Karen Simmons to announce the teenager would be part of the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.
If Perzel, of the 7800 block of Brous Ave. in Lexington Park, completes the yet-to-be-specified terms of the program, the charges would be expunged from his record.
The teen was eligible for ARD because he had no prior arrests and the alleged victim was not injured.
Perzel was arrested in the early-morning hours of Nov. 18, 2007, near Second and Tasker streets. Officers from the 3rd Police District responded to reports of fights involving some of the 50-plus people gathered near the intersection.
At an earlier preliminary hearing, officer Melissa Curcio testified that she ordered Perzel to leave the area. When he refused, she attempted to arrest him. That’s when, she said, he told her to "Get off of me" and hit her in the face. Curcio and a colleague ultimately subdued him and arrested him.
A judge threw out an aggravated assault charge, but held him on misdemeanor charges of simple assault, resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct.
Sam Perzel is the youngest of John and Sheryl Perzel’s four sons. In 2006, Sam wrote a letter to voters asking them to support his father for re-election because of his plan to put 1,345 new police officers on the streets of Philadelphia. ••