June 16, 2010

Lehigh County man arrested in Internet sex sting; 265th arrest made by Attorney General's Child Predator Unit

HARRISBURG - Agents from the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit have arrested a Lehigh County man who arrived at a pre-determined location yesterday to meet what he believed was a 15-year old girl. The "girl" was actually an undercover agent.

Attorney General Tom Corbett identified the defendant as Norman Hutchko, 25, 432 S. Leh St., Allentown.

Corbett said that on May 29, 2010 Hutchko allegedly contacted a 15-year old girl using the online social networking site MySpace.

According to the criminal complaint, the teen's mother contacted the South Whitehall Police Department to report that her daughter had been contacted by a 25-year old man who made inappropriate comments.

"Every parent needs to understand the threat Internet predators pose to their child's safety online," Corbett said. "This case is the perfect example of a parent knowing and understanding the dangers associated with social networking sites."

The charges state that the teen's mother received an instant message through her daughter's MySpace account and got Hutchko's phone number, which she used to frequently text him pretending to be her daughter.

Corbett said that Hutchko texted the teen's cell phone saying "prob to old for u. I'm 25" and suggested meeting saying "don't tell them my age cause they'll prob not let you."

According to the criminal complaint Hutchko also told the teen through text messages that they could drink together sending a message saying "I have Smirnoff. We can watch a movie or two. And snuggle. After a dew smirnoffs you'll get a buz. We can also do what u said earlier. Me."

On June 1, 2010 agents with the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit began an instant message conversation with Hutchko, which quickly turned graphic in nature.

Corbett said that Hutchko was very graphic and specific in his conversations with the girl and repeatedly asked her when they could meet for the purpose of having sex.

Hutchko was taken into custody on June 15 after he arrived at a pre-determined location in Allentown and was preliminarily arraigned before Allentown Magisterial District Judge Jacob Hammond. He was released on $100,000 cash bail.

Hutchko is charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.

Hutchko will be prosecuted in Lehigh County by Deputy Attorney General Christopher Jones of the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit.

Corbett thanked the South Whitehall Police Department and the Lehigh County Detectives for their assistance with the investigation.

Internet Safety

"Online predators do not care how long it might take to establish a relationship with a child or how far they must travel if they find a vulnerable victim - especially during summer vacation, when more young teens are home alone or unsupervised for longer periods of time," Corbett said.

Corbett said that summer typically triggers a jump in the number of incidents involving Internet predators.  Last year, our Child Predator Unit arrested 32 people during the spring and summer months, including men who traveled to Pennsylvania from as far away as Texas, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio, all hoping to sexually victimize children.

Corbett recommended that parents and other caregivers should also monitor how kids are using the Internet, including:

• Checking the websites they use frequently.
• Searching the social networking sites they visit.
• Asking them to show you their online profiles on Facebook, MySpace and other websites and discussing the items they may be posting online.

Corbett added that parents and kids need to understand that safety concerns now extend beyond home computers.

"Many cell phones and game systems can be used to send and receive messages or photos and can also be used to access websites," Corbett said.  "The same safety rules need to be applied to all of these devices."

Corbett said that parents should also emphasize that kids should not share personal information online, like full names, ages, addresses, phone numbers and school information, and should be especially cautious about strangers who approach them online.

Suspected internet predators can be reported to the Attorney General's Office by clicking on the "Report a Predator" link, located on the front page of the Attorney General's website, at www.attorneygeneral.gov or by calling the toll-free Child Predator Hotline at 1-800-385-1044.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)

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