Man admits trying to meet underage girl for sex

NORRISTOWN >> A Bucks County man is awaiting his fate from a judge after he admitted to using the Internet to attempt to meet who he believed was an underage girl for sex in Montgomery Township.

Aaron Ross Smith, 23, of the unit block of Citadel Circle in Chalfont, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of unlawful contact with a minor, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with incidents that occurred between December 2018 and January 2019.

Judge Todd D. Eisenberg deferred sentencing

Smith until a later date so that court officials can complete a presentence investigation report. Smith faces a maximum possible sentence of up to 47 years in prison. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

Regardless of the sentence he receives from the judge, Smith faces a lifetime requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Smith, who is represented by defense lawyer Abigail Silverman Leeds, remains free on bail pending sentencing.

Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General Michelle Laucella is prosecuting the case.

Smith was arrested in January during an investigation by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit. During that investigation, a special agent with the Bureau of Criminal Investigations of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General assumed the identity of a 14-year-old Montgomery Township girl online, according to court papers.

While online and acting in an undercover capacity, the state agent began communicating with Smith in December 2018. Smith, despite being told he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl, “solicited the child for unlawful sexual contact” and the conversations became sexual in nature, according to the arrest affidavit.

A meeting was arranged to take place at a location in the 800 block of Bethlehem Pike in Montgomery Township on Jan. 24. At 6:55 p.m. Smith was taken into custody by state agents when he showed up at the prearranged meeting place.

During an interview by authorities, Smith reported he knew the purported child’s age was 14 and admitted he was informed of the child’s age on more than one occasion during the online communications. Smith admitted to discussing having sexual contact with who he believed was a teenage girl, according to arrest documents.

“He stated he made a very bad choice. He stated that he knew the child was eight years younger than he was and that she was under the age of consent,” state agents wrote in the criminal complaint.

Authorities said a review of the contents of Smith’s cellphone uncovered the online chats he had with the undercover agent posing at the 14-year-old girl.