Crime & Safety
3 Men Tried To Meet Children For Sex In Montgomery County: DA
Three men were busted over the past several weeks trying to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex in Montgomery County, the DA's Office announced.
NORRISTOWN, PA — Three men have been arrested after engaging in lurid online discussions with an undercover cop who they believed was a child. The suspects ultimately planned to meet the child for sex in Montgomery County, the District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
Donovan Early, 28, of Philadelphia, Joseph Picchi, 49 of Hammonton, New Jersey, and Jonathan Uitto, 30, of Conshohocken each made separate overtures to the "child," who was really a cop posing as a 14-year-old girl.
The suspects all shared sexually explicit photos with the "girl," cops said, and discussed in detail their sexual plans. During the conversations, both over text and email, the undercover cop repeatedly told each man that "she" was only 14, according to the criminal complaints.
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Early agreed to meet the underaged girl on Jan. 17 in Conshohocken. Police met him at the agreed-upon place and took him into custody, charging him with statutory sexual assault, attempted involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, and related counts.
Picchi also arrived at the meeting point in Conshohocken on Jan. 25 and was arrested on charges of statutory sexual assault, kidnapping, and related counts.
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Uitto did not come to meet the "girl" but was arrested on Feb. 14, police said. He faces charges of communications with a minor with obscene material, corruption of minors, and discussing explicit sexual material with a minor.
Early did not make $150,00 bail and was remanded to Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He then waived his preliminary hearing.
Picchi failed to post $75,000 bail and was also taken to Montgomery County Correctional Facility, with a preliminary hearing set for Feb. 28.
Uitto posted $100,000 bail and was released. He's slated to return for his hearing on March 1.
The undercover efforts were spearheaded by a partnership between the Montgomery County Detective Bureau's Major Crimes Unit and the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. From left to right: Early, Picchi, Uitto
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