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County 911 Dispatcher To Stand Trial For Allegedly Sexting Teen

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – An Allegheny County emergency dispatcher accused of soliciting sex from a 14-year-old boy will stand trial.

Derek Horneman has been in the headlines for two very different kinds of reasons in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, he was in court in Armstrong County and waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of corruption of minors.

Prosecutors added a misdemeanor corruption of minors charge in addition to the felony charge already filed.

"It's a sad case," said defense attorney Al Lindsay. "It involves family and he's a guy that would like to put all this behind him. He didn't ask for this attention."

But attention is what Horneman is getting after being charged with sending texts to a 14-year-old boy from Leechburg, Armstrong County, allegedly asking him to consider sex acts.

The irony is that earlier this month, Horneman was hailed as a hero for saving a woman from a fire in Natrona Heights.

Horneman is also a 911 operator in Allegheny County and was put on unpaid leave as a result of the charges.

At Wednesday's hearing, he and his lawyer opted to send the case directly to Common Pleas Court, given the relatively low standard necessary to hold a case for trial.

His attorney hopes his previous good acts can be a factor in how this case ultimately ends. He would not speculate on whether a plea deal could eventually be on the table.

"This young man is a hero," said Lindsay. "He did a tremendously heroic act several weeks ago, and as a result of what he did, this case has received much more attention than it would otherwise receive, which is kind of a sad commentary on where we are, but that's the way things seem to be going in this country. But I'm proud to represent him. He's a hero and we're sorry that this, as they say, is the upshot of the whole thing."

Horneman's trial on these charges is expected to be scheduled sometime later this year.

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