Violinist charged with solicitation

CHARLESTON, W.Va., July 2 (UPI) -- A West Virginia Symphony Orchestra violinist is fighting extradition to Virginia on charges he tried to solicit a minor for sex over the Internet.

Luigi Peracchia, 41, was arrested by West Virginia state police in March on a warrant issued by the Loudoun County, Va., sheriff's department, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported Wednesday.

Loudoun County police allege Peracchia contacted someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl through the Internet and solicited her for sex.

Peracchia's lawyer, John Flannery, said his client's arrest, on a fugitive warrant, was "in the best case, reckless" because Peracchia was not a fugitive and police knew where he was.

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra said the violinist had been suspended as a result of the charges.

The Gazette said Peracchia also took an unpaid yearlong leave of absence from the orchestra and the Montclaire String Quartet, a group of the symphony's top string players.

Peracchia could not be reached for comment, the Gazette said.