PENNSYLVANIA (LOOTPRESS) – A 31-year-old man from Springfield, West Virginia, is jailed in Pennsylvania after authorities say he drove across state lines to meet who he believed was a 15-year-old girl for sexual purposes, only to be arrested at the arranged location while accompanied by his own minor child.
Benjamin Carlton Engle, of Springfield in Hampshire County, was taken into custody on February 21 at Irvin Park in Curwensville Borough, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
Curwensville police, working with the online group 814 Pred Hunters, confronted him after he allegedly arranged the meet-up.
According to police, Engle exchanged dozens of sexually explicit messages over several weeks with group members posing as the teenager.
The affidavit states he made repeated comments about sexual acts, sent multiple explicit photos of himself, and questioned whether the “teen” was law enforcement before proceeding.
When officers approached Engle at the park, they discovered his young child in the vehicle. The child was temporarily placed with Clearfield County Children and Youth Services before being reunited with the mother.
Engle faces multiple felony charges, including unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and aggravated indecent assault. He is currently held at the Jefferson County Jail in Pennsylvania with bail set at $250,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled soon.
