DA: Horsham Man Arrested For Sexual Assault After Luring, Meeting Underage Girl On Facebook
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NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office says a Horsham man was arrested Thursday for sexual assault after having sex with a 15-year-old girl he lured and met on Facebook.
Richard Blong, 27, was charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual abuse of children, among other charges.
On Sept. 27, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received an online tip from Facebook through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The tip alleged that Blong had asked three girls between the ages of 14 and 17 to send pornographic images to him.
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The Montgomery County Detective Bureau and Horsham Police opened an investigation, which found the that the defendant had sexually explicit Facebook conversations with the three minors. All three underage girls had their ages listed on Facebook.
In August, Blong allegedly met one of the girls at his Horsham home and had sexual intercourse with her, according to authorities The other two girls, who do not live in Pennsylvania, never met the defendant.
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"Predators know the seemingly private nature of cell phone use by children and teens and their various social media accounts. And predators seek to use those friendly platforms to take advantage of children," District Attorney Kevin Steele said. "Parents need to be vigilant in monitoring their children's activity, keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and reiterate to their children that they should not correspond with unknown adults on these social media platforms."
Blong's bail was set at $100,000 cash. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.
