The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Trio face charges in sex predator sting
NORRISTOWN » Three men, including an Upper Merion resident, face charges they used the Internet to attempt to have sexual contact with children or had sexually charged conversations with children when in reality they were communicating with undercover detectives.
Jonathan Jason Uitto, 30, of the 1100 block of Rebel Hill Road, Upper Merion, Donovan Lamar Early, 28, of the 5700 block of Virginian Road, Philadelphia, and Joseph Picchi, 49, of the 100 block of Mays Landing Road, Hammonton, N.J., each was arrested during separate sting operations conducted by members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Each of the men engaged in
online and text communications with undercover detectives who were posing as 14-year-old girls, detectives alleged.
“Each engaged in sexually explicit, electronic communications with a person they believed was a minor child, and each shared sexually explicit photos with the purported 14-year-old female,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged.
Two of the men, Early and Picchi, subsequently appeared at an agreed upon meeting place in Conshohocken with the intention of having sexual relations with the minor child and were taken into custody by authorities.
Uitto was arrested Feb. 14 on charges of attempted contact with a minor with obscene materials and performances, attempted corruption of a minor and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between Jan. 15 and Feb. 12. Uitto remains free after posting bail to await his March 1 preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Francis J. Bernhardt III of Conshohocken.
With the charges, detectives alleged Uitto responded to a Craigslist advertisement posted by undercover detectives posing at a 14-year-old girl and wrote, “I do like girls that are younger than me,” according to the criminal complaint. During the ensuing online and text message communications, Uitto allegedly sent, who he believed was a teenage girl, sexually explicit photographs and had sexually explicit conversations.
“I informed Jonathan Uitto on numerous occasions that I was a 14-yearold, which he still had numerous explicit conversations with me and in total sent four pictures of penises,” detectives alleged in the criminal complaint lodged against Uitto.
Early was arrested Jan. 17 and charged with attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, criminal use of a communication facility and related offenses in connection with alleged incidents that occurred on Jan. 17. Early, who waived a preliminary hearing, was remanded to the county jail in lieu of $150,000 cash bail to await trial.
With the charges, detectives alleged Early also responded to a Craigslist advertisement posted by undercover agents posing as a 14-year-old girl, engaged in sexually explicit email and text communications and sent the undercover detective photos that he claimed were of his penis.
Early also arranged to meet, who he believed was the teenage girl, at a Conshohocken hotel and detectives moved in and arrested him when he arrived at the hotel, according to the criminal complaint. When he was taken into custody, Early was found possessing a condom, according to the arrest affidavit. Early allegedly told detectives that he was “expecting oral sex” but would have had intercourse with the person he believed was 14 “if there was an opportunity.”
Picchi was arrested Jan. 25 and faces charges of attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted kidnapping or interference with custody of a child, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related offenses in connection with incidents that occurred on Jan. 25. Picchi was remanded to the county jail after failing to post $75,000 bail to await his Feb. 28 preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Deborah A. Lukens.
With the charges, detectives alleged Picchi responded to an ad posted on a social media website and engaged in inappropriate online and text message conversations with who he believed was a 14-year-old girl, offering to teach her about sex.
Picchi allegedly offered to pick up the underage girl at a Conshohocken hotel and then take her to his New Jersey home for a sexual encounter. Detectives arrested Picchi when he showed up the hotel about 7:45 p.m., according to court papers.
Steele said county detectives and specially-trained detectives from police departments countywide routinely work with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force “to protect children from Internet predators.”