NORTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pa.– A Harrisburg man accused of raping a 6-year-old boy waived his preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Ira Task, 61, waived the hearing during an appearance before Magisterial District Judge Paul Fegley in Carlisle. Task faces more than a dozen sex offense charges including rape of a child, aggravated assault on a juvenile, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and disseminating child pornography.
He was arrested on Oct. 20 and taken to Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $1,000,000 bail. The investigation started in July when federal investigators contacted police in Cumberland County about the rape of a child that was streamed live on the internet. Police said the rape happened at Task’s home on 2nd Street in Harrisburg. The interior matches that shown on photos and videos of the rape.
Task admitted to raping the 6-year-old boy while he was HIV-positive, police said.
Investigators found Task through 19-year-old William Byers-Augusta, of North Middleton Township. They say Byers-Augusta live streamed video on the internet of his own sexual abuse of the victim.
Byers-Augusta was arrested and charged with rape and creation of child pornography charges in July. Text messages on his phone showed that he had later planned and delivered the victim to Task at his home, for the later April 20 rape. The messages show they planned it for months. Police say the video shows Task drugging the child with an inhalant, both men abusing him, and then Task raping him.
Task’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 21.
Byers-Augusta is due in court on Dec. 31 for his formal arraignment.