Fugitive Who Lured, Sexually Assaulted Stafford Girl Caught: Cops

PHILADELPHIA — A Burlington County fugitive indicted for sexually assaulting a Stafford girl has been found, police said. Authorities found Charles E. Torrence in a Philadelphia homeless shelter.

Torrence was indicted on several charges Friday, including sexual assault, two counts of luring or enticing a child and four counts of child endangerment. Stafford police arrested Torrence in June for sexually assaulting an underage girl he met on messaging app Kik, according to officials.

The man was released pending the outcome of the charges. He then failed to appear in court, and the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office labeled him a fugitive in a Friday announcement. Read more: Man Sought After Luring Ocean County Girl For Sex: Prosecutor

Evesham police received a tip Saturday that Torrence was staying in various Philadelphia homeless shelters. Authorities staked out several shelters and eventually found him entering one on Spruce Street.

He was turned over to Philadelphia police to begin the extradition process back to New Jersey.

Torrence, 50, was indicted for the following:

• sexual assault (second-degree)
• two counts of luring or enticing a child (second-degree)
• four counts of endangering the welfare of a child (third-degree)
• two counts of criminal attempt to endanger the welfare of a child (third-degree)
• promoting prostitution (third-degree)

Torrence and the victim met through Kik, communicating through texting and FaceTime about one week before he traveled to her home. He took her back to his home for sex, authorities said. Read more: Man Cuffed In Stafford For Sex With Underage Girl: Officials

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer warned parents about Kik in an April 19 announcement. The free messaging app is popular with children and teens, allowing users to share instant messages, photos and videos. Kik is anonymous.

"Kik has a dubious reputation as one of leading apps used by child predators to groom under-age users," Billhimer said. "Grooming is the process employed by child predators to befriend under-age children and gradually convince them, through the app, to let their guard down and to eventually engage in inappropriate dialogue and conduct. Grooming can ultimately lead to child predators attempting to arrange meetings with minors."

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.