Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
4 charged in child sex police sting
NORRISTOWN » Four men from southeastern Pennsylvania, including two living in King of Prussia, have been arrested and charged with unlawful contact with minors according to a press release issued by the Office of the Attorney General.
Apithai Pikrohkit, 30, of Brandywine Lane, William Novitski, 28, of Hampton Road, along with Nafiz Tahmid, 27, of Philadelphia and Christopher Cook, 36, of York were taken into custody following investigations into separate instances in which they allegedly solicited sex online from undercover agents they believed to be 13 or 14-year-old minors.
Each of the suspects was arrested when he went to various locations to meet up with the “teen”
he thought he was communicating with.
“These four defendants were seeking sex from children they met online,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement included in the release. “Thanks to the relentless efforts of agents in our Child Predator Section, in collaboration with local and
federal law enforcement, these predators have been arrested and taken off our streets. The Office of Attorney General has a zero tolerance policy for the sexual abuse of children.”
According to the release, bail for Cook, Pikrohkit and Tahmid was set at $75,000, with preliminary hearings set for Aug. 25, while bail for Novitski was set at $125,000 with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 1.
Deputy Attorney General Michelle Laucella will
be prosecuting the cases.
Shapiro thanked Tredyffrin Township police and Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance with the cases.
“Law enforcement cooperation makes our communities safer,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding suspected child predators is urged to call the Child Predator Hotline at 1-800-385-1044 or submit a tip by texting “PAKIDS,” followed by that information, to 847411.