Mercer County man arrested by child predator unit
State investigators accuse a Mercer County man of having sex with a fifteen-year-old girl and sending her sexually explicit pictures and videos. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Child Predator Section says David T. Bennett, 24, of Old Ash Road, Springfield Township was arrested in Crawford County where he agreed to meet an undercover investigator who had been posing as a minor online.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - State investigators accuse a Mercer County man of having sex with a fifteen-year-old girl and sending her sexually explicit pictures and videos.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Child Predator Section says David T. Bennett, 24, of Old Ash Road, Springfield Township was arrested in Crawford County where he agreed to meet an undercover investigator who had been posing as a minor online.
The Attorney General's office says the investigation began when it was discovered that Bennett made contact online with a 15-year-old girl.
He allegedly sent at least 20 sexually explicit images and several videos to the underage girl, including nude images of himself.
According to the criminal complaint, Bennett had sexual contact with the girl on two separate occasions.
When an undercover agent posing as the minor contacted Bennett, he allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to the agent and arranged to meet for the purpose of having sex with the minor.
Bennett was arrested in Crawford County on Friday.
Bennett is charged with two counts each of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of minors.
He is also facing several other charges related to an alleged attempt to sexually assault the minor on a third occasion and for his possession of child pornography.
Bail for Bennett was set at $100,000. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 10.
