A New Jersey man has been caught in a sting operation after authorities said he traveled across state lines for what he thought would be sex with a young teenage girl, authorities said.
Christopher M. Reynolds, 35, of the Brown Mills section of Pemberton, is charged with nine felonies, including criminal attempt to engage or perform a commercial sex act with a minor, criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault and criminal attempt to commit indecent sexual assault with a person less than 13, the Buck’s County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania said in a statement on Thursday.
On Tuesday, a detective from the nearby Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office went undercover on a website known for human trafficking. While on the site, he was posing as a mother offering her 13-year-old daughter for sex in exchange for money, authorities said.
A user then contacted the undercover officer and agreed to pay $300 for sexual activity with the fictional girl, officials said. The detective also told the person to bring a two liter bottle of Mountain Dew.
Reynolds later showed up at the agreed upon location – in Bensalem, Pennsylvania – where he was arrested by detectives. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of $300 in cash and the bottle of Mountain Dew.
“This operation sends an unmistakable message to those who look to prey on children in our communities,” District Attorney Joe Khan said. “This is the exact kind of proactive, aggressive enforcement the public can expect from our office’s revamped anti-trafficking operation. We are going to use every tool and technology at our disposal, and we will continue to hunt down those who attempt to exploit vulnerable individuals.”
Reynolds appeared in Bensalem Magisterial Court on Tuesday. He is now being held at Bucks County Correctional Facility on a $5 million bond.
