DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — A Dauphin County man was sentenced to serve 4.5 to 10 years in a state penitentiary for multiple sex crimes involving children, according to the county's district attorney's office.
Jeremy Clugston, 40, was charged with solicitation to commit aggravated indecent assault, dissemination of sexually explicit materials to minors, solicitation to commit possession of child pornography, and criminal use of a communication facility.
Authorities began their undercover investigation after the victim's mother contacted police suspecting the sexually explicit messages the 14-year-old was receiving were from an adult.
Clugston continued to send messages to who he believed was the victim but was actually an officer. In his messages, Clugston said he wanted to meet with her (the victim) to engage in sexual activity and he admitted he was not a teenager but an adult man.
He also sent the undercover officer graphic pictures of himself and tried to solicit pornographic pictures from who he believed was the teenage girl.
Through their investigation, officials found that the suspect was someone the victim knew through her family and that he was a baseball coach.
The victim's father said Clugston "permanently damaged her mindset of men as coaches, role models, and peers. He preyed on her."
Clugston will also have to serve 14 years of consecutive probation and must register under Megan's Law for the rest of his life. He is not allowed to have contact with anyone under the age of 18 and is subject to special conditions for sexual offenders.
