Man Sought After Luring Ocean County Girl For Sex: Prosecutor

MARLTON, NJ — A Burlington County man who authorities say had sex with an Ocean County girl he met through a messaging app in 2019 is being sought after he was indicted on charges of luring and sexual assault, the Burlington County prosecutor's office said.

Charles E. Torrence, 50, of Summer Lane in Marlton, was indicted Friday, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. He is a fugitive, Coffina said.

Torrence met the girl through the Kik social media app, then the two texted and spoke using FaceTime for about a week before he picked her up at her home and drove her back to his home to have sex, Coffina said.

Kik is a free instant messaging mobile app that allows its users to register anonymously, without providing a phone number, and has been popular with kids since its release in 2010, according to the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The anonymity and the ease of contacting kids using the app has made it a haven for pedophiles as well, the task force said.

"Simply put, Kik is not safe for children to use, not only because of it's anonymity feature, but also because of it's weak parental control mechanisms," the task force has said.

The girl and her parents contacted Ocean County law enforcement in June 2019 to report the assault, and Ocean County authorities contacted the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, he said. Coffina did not identify the girl's hometown.

Torrence was charged by Burlington County authorities in June and arrested, then released pending the outcome of the charges, Coffina said, but Torrence never showed up for a Superior Court proceeding and has been considered a fugitive ever since.

Torrence was indicted on four counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of second-degree luring or enticing a child, four counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of third-degreen criminal attempt endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree promoting prostitution.

Anyone with information concerning his whereabouts is asked to call the Evesham Township Police Department at 856-983-1116 or the department’s confidential tip line at 856-983-4699.

Evesham Township police and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office investigated, with assistance from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Stafford police.

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