Braddock Man Allegedly Tried To Assault 2 Teens

KITTANNING (KDKA) -- State police in Armstrong County say they have arrested a Braddock man who is accused of assaulting two teenagers he met on a social networking website.

According to state police, 34-year-old Joshua Patterson is accused of befriending two 14-year-old girls on the site "myYearbook."

Investigators say he had been conversing with them for about two months, allegedly posing as a 19-year-old.

"They were somewhat surprised because they were expecting a 19-year-old male and they found out that he looked apparently older than 19," State Trooper Eric Maurer said.

Police say Patterson met the two girls along a back road in Boggs Township. He tried to hug one of the girls. They became frightened and tried to run away.

Police say Patterson grabbed one of them by the hoodie, but they got away safely.

According to police, Patterson often talked to the girls about having sex on the webpage and in subsequent cell phone calls.

Police found Patterson through cell phone records.

"Parents should be diligent about what their teenagers are doing, especially pm the web," Trooper Maurer said. "Anyone can have access to these sites and gain information that they can use in an illegal manner such as this."

Investigators say Patterson's cell phone, laptop, desktop computer and other electronic devices were seized when a search warrant was executed.

He was arrested and taken to the Armstrong County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bond.

State police say Patterson admitted to meeting other underage girls through the site.

"We believe there may be other victims out there that we're unaware of at this point, but that's what we're further investigating," Maurer added.

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