Middletown Man Indicted for Luring, Sexually Assaulting Girl, 15

MIDDLETOWN, NJ - A Monmouth County grand jury returned a 24-count indictment Friday charging a Middletown man with luring and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Additionally, Bryan W. Sanderson, 24, of Middletown, is charged with exploiting other pre-teen and teen girls using the popular online social media site Kik.

The charges stem from an investigation where law enforcement officers discovered Sanderson lured a 15-year-old girl in 2015 he met on Kik, in order to have sex with her, police say. Additionally, during their investigation, detectives say they also discovered Sanderson possessed numerous images of child pornography and attempted to engage in sexual conduct, including sending and receiving obscene pictures with multiple individuals online who identified themselves as 12- and 13-year-old girls.

All the alleged crimes were committed while Sanderson was already serving a sentence of Parole Supervision for Life after he was previously convicted in 2013, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Patch reported on Sanderson's arrest in August of last year: His Aug. 18 arrest stems from a motor vehicle stop on Sept. 9, 2015 in Union County. On that date, Union County police approached Sanderson's car after it was found with an expired registration while parked in a no parking zone. Inside the car, police found Sanderson with a 14-year-old girl, they said. During their investigation, Union County police learned Sanderson was on parole supervision for life as a result of a previous conviction. Police contacted state parole authorities advising them that Sanderson was in a car with a juvenile, and he was arrested for violating his parole.

Sanderson is currently lodged in the Monmouth County jail on a $150,000 cash-only bail. And police think more victims may be out there: Investigators are seeking additional information about Sanderson’s activities and looking to identify other possible victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Michael Acquaviva of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7160 ext. 2233.

Sanderson is represented by Michael C. Woyce, Esq., of Ringwood.

Photo of Bryan Sanderson released by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office