Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting 3 Teens Waives Charges To Trial
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A man accused in the sexual assault of three teenagers will stand trial.
Police say Melvin Amodeo, 25, of Wilmerding, used social media to contact the victims.
Amodeo never faced the young victims in court Thursday because he waived all the charges he faces - corruption of minors, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and criminal solicitation of a person under 16 - straight to court.
"The issue for trial was whether or not he knew any of these people were less than 16 years of age," said Pat Thomassey, the defense attorney.
According to police, Amodeo is accused of using the Internet, social media like Facebook, to meet the teens using different names, then would text them, send explicit pictures and eventually invite them to his home for sexual encounters.
His attorney said they waived all the charges on to court so a jury can determine if Amodeo really knew his victims, both male and female were underage age.
"If you reasonably believe somebody is older than 16, and you have relations with her, then it's not a crime," said Thomassey.
For now, Amodeo remains in the Allegheny County Jail.
But because police found explicit photos of other minors in Amodeo's possession, they say they believe there could be more victims. But his attorney would like to see him out on bail.
"He was working, I know that. And he's close to his family. He was living with his grandmother in Wilmerding at the time," Thomassey said. "I am trying to get him a reasonable bail to get him out and he's not going to go back to Wilmerding; he'll go live somewhere else."
RELATED LINKS:
Teen's Sexting Leads To Arrest Of 2 Men (9/17/13)
Wilmerding Man Arrested Again On Child Sex Assault Charges (9/27/13)
More Reports by Lynne Hayes-Freeland
