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The head of a Delaware County advocacy group has been charged with using opioid settlement funds to coerce sexual favors from women experiencing addiction.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer charged Lawrence Arata, executive director of the Opioid Crisis Action Network, with human trafficking, patronizing prostitutes, obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

“Our investigation concluded that Larry Arata cynically and cruelly misused those funds as leverage to satisfy his sexual desires,” Stollsteimer said in a statement.

Arata turned himself in on Wednesday to the district attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division and later posted bail. No attorney was listed for Arata in online court records and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Opioid Crisis Action Network did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawrence Arata, 65, founded the Upper Darby-based organization in 2018 with his wife, Heather Arata, shortly after their son died from a heroin overdose. The Opioid Crisis Action Network pays for treatment and housing for people with substance use disorder.

The organization was a recipient of opioid settlement money from Delaware County as well as the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust, Stollsteimer said. The Criminal Investigation Division, in collaboration with the Upper Darby Police Department, initiated a joint investigation into Arata after receiving complaints.

“The allegations revolve around Arata receiving sexual favors from clients who are in recovery for drug addictions in exchange for program benefits such as meal credits, gift cards, bus passes, money, rental assistance, and the like,” the affidavit of probable cause reads.

The Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred this morning in Clayton.

On November 18, 2025, at approximately 10:20 a.m., a Chevrolet Silverado was traveling southbound on Wheatley’s Pond Road near Bryn Zion Road. At the same time, a pedestrian was walking southbound on Wheatley’s Pond Road near Bryn Zion Road, in the southbound shoulder, with his bicycle. The preliminary investigation revealed that the Silverado exited the southbound lane of travel and as a result, struck the pedestrian within the shoulder.

The pedestrian, a 19-year-old man from Clayton, Delaware, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name is being withheld until his family is notified.

The driver of the Silverado, a 64-year-old man from Smyrna, Delaware, was not injured.

Wheatley’s Pond Road was closed for approximately 3 hours while the scene was investigated and cleared.

The Delaware State Police Troop 3 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this crash. Troopers ask anyone who witnessed the crash or has relevant information to contact Master Corporal W. Booth at (302) 698-8451. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.

If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime or have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov.

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