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York man accused of using Internet to solicit teenage girls for sex

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s office today announced the arrest of two Pennsylvania men charged with various felony sex crimes. Both me...
pressel

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s office today announced the arrest of two Pennsylvania men charged with various felony sex crimes.
Both men are accused of using the Internet to arrange a sexual encounter with a person they believed to be a 13-year-old girl. The person in both cases was actually an undercover agent with the Attorney General’s Child Predator Section.
The arrests were made Friday in Luzerne and York counties following separate online investigations by the Child Predator Section.
“Our investigations have shown us repeatedly that child predators are using the Internet as their primary means of communicating with their victims,” Attorney General Kane said. “Knowing this is the case, we have made it a priority to monitor websites where individuals may seek to solicit minors. This is part of our ongoing efforts to protect children from being victimized by child predators.”
The defendants arrested are listed below:
• Timothy P. Bzdak, 39, of the first block of Mallory Place, Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County.
• Jeremy N. Pressel, 29, of the 2400 block of Emigs Mill Road, Dover, York County.
Bzdak charges

York man accused of using Internet to solicit teenage girls for sex

Agents with the Child Predator Section were monitoring online advertisements in an effort to find individuals soliciting minors for unlawful sexual activity. An undercover agent, posing as a 13-year-old girl, made contact with a person later identified as Bzdak.
Bzdak allegedly expressed a desire to meet with the teenage girl for the purpose of having sexual contact. A meeting location was later determined. Bzdak was taken into custody by Child Predator Section agents.
He is charged with one count each of unlawful contact with a minor, criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, criminal attempt to commit aggravated indecent assault and criminal use of a communication facility. Bzdak is being held in the Luzerne County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 23.
Bzdak will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Rebecca A. Elo of the Child Predator Section.

York man accused of using Internet to solicit teenage girls for sex

Pressel charges
Agents with the Child Predator Section conducted an undercover online investigation in an attempt to identify child predators using the Internet. Posing as a 13-year-old girl, an agent made contact with a person later identified as Pressel.
Pressel is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and later trying to arrange a sexual encounter with the person he believed to be the 13-year-old girl. He was arrested at a predetermined meeting location.
Pressel is charged with one count each of unlawful contact with a minor, criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault and criminal use of a communication facility. Bail and preliminary hearing information was not immediately available.
Attorney General Kane thanked the Springettsbury Township Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Services for their work on this investigation.
Pressel will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher J. Jones of the Child Predator Section.
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The Child Predator Section recently surpassed 500 arrests since Attorney General Kane took office in 2013. This month the section has also been responsible for the arrest of a Montgomery County man charged with trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy, the arrest of a Schuylkill County man who allegedly tried to arrange a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl and the arrest of two men accused of distributing child pornography on the Internet.
Reporting Child Predators
Suspected child predators can be reported to the Office of Attorney General by calling the Child Predator Hotline at 1-800-385-1044. Individuals who suspect an online predator or child sexual abuse can also send an anonymous tip to the office by texting PAKIDS + YOUR TIP to 847411.

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