FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — A Charleroi man is in jail and accused of luring three young girls to a hotel in Fayette County.
”He was very well aware of their ages and it didn’t seem to matter,” Connellsville Police Corporal Bryan Kendi said.
Brandon Johnson, 35, is charged with kidnapping, child luring and multiple other charges.
”We were called by the hotel staff who had pretty good awareness of what was going on. They had their own suspicions so they called us and we followed up with the case,” Kendi said.
Police said the hotel staff helped prompt the investigation.
Police said Johnson randomly added the girls on Snapchat, and the girls told him they were only 12 and 13 years old.
Johnson allegedly sent them nude pictures of himself before convincing the girls to meet him at the McDonald’s in Connellsville, before heading to the Comfort Inn.
Police said he had alcohol and offered the girls up to $130 dollars in exchange for sex.
”It was a matter of minutes they were in there before the girls realized the situation they got themselves in, and managed to finagle their way out,” Kendi said.
The girls left and told him they were calling police.
Johnson checked out and deleted his Snapchat account.
Police said it is imperative for parents to monitor your kid’s phone and online activity to keep them safe, but investigators said predators are out there looking for any opportunity.
”Their lack of maturity, lack of parental oversight, the access to the cell phones, all of this came together, and thankfully, they were able to get out and we were able to get him in prison before he was able to get someone else, but this is the reality we live in today,” Kendi added.
Johnson is in jail without bail.
We tried reaching out to his public defender but did not hear back.
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