Police: Man, 60, Solicited Girl, 14, On Facebook
BEAVER FALLS (KDKA/AP) - A 60-year-old Beaver County man has been charged with using Facebook to solicit a 14-year-old girl to perform a sex act.
Steve G. Moore, of Beaver Falls, was arraigned Sunday on charges of unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, and promoting prostitution.
The last charge resulted after police say they found "disturbing private message conversations" that Moore had with prostitutes and random women.
Police searched his computer after the girl told her grandmother that Moore offered her $50 on July 8 to perform the sex act. Police obtained a search warrant for Moore's computer and filed the charges Saturday.
The grandmother brought the Facebook instant messenger message to police which was sent about 1:30 in the morning July 8th.
According to the criminal complaint his message to the teen read, "give u 50$ reasons 2..." and then described a sex act.
The 14-year-old then responded "leave me alone."
Then once the girl showed her grandmother, the grandmother wrote a response of her own, using the the teen's instant messenger:
"Do not!!!! send other message or instant message. Taking this phone to the police..." and then in no uncertain terms used an expletive of her own to reinforce that point.
The Beaver Falls' Police Chief would not discuss specifics of this case but says parents can learn lessons from cases like this.
"I think it's very important that parents and caretakers be very aware of what their children, who they're talking to on social media," says Chief Charles Jones. "I mean we've seen a huge increase with these types of problems, not just our department but but nationally there's a huge problem with social media and the fact that parents don't know who their children are talking to and the conversations that they're having."
He faces a preliminary hearing Aug. 19.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Moore, who also does not have a listed telephone number.
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