When a juvenile girl began receiving offensive messages over the internet from a suspicious adult male, the young victim sought help. The girl’s parents informed police and a detective was assigned to try to find out who the suspect was. The detective, according to reports, was able to track the suspect by continuing contact and posing as the girl online.
The suspect pleaded guilty in an open plea to a sex offense, the attempted endangerment of a child’s welfare through sex texts and a photograph. The accused admitted contacting the girl during the spring of 2009 and sending sexually suggestive and explicit messages and a picture to her or, at least, to the person he believed was her. The case detective, in the girl’s internet disguise, intercepted the clearly sexual material as evidence.
When police raided the suspect’s home, they reportedly found a computer hard drive filled with child pornography in the form of videos and photographs. The man was charged first with possession of those materials as well as endangering the welfare of children.
After the police seizure of physical evidence, the suspect entered a guilty plea for additional charges stemming from the sexting with the 12-year-old who had initially reported him. Although the state prosecutor had plea bargained a 4 year jail term, the man chose to enter a no-contest or open plea and will be sentenced by a superior court judge in June.
The possible sentences the admitted sex offender may receive, in addition to prison, are court-ordered fines, lifetime parole and possibly civil commitment, a mandatory process that would help to decide if the man requires mental health or psychiatric treatment.
Source: PhillyBurbs.com “Man pleads guilty in text sex case” Danielle Camilli, April 26, 2011
