Federal, local authorities charge suspects in ongoing online child sex sting in Erie region
An undercover sting involving law enforcement agents posing as children online has led to the arrest of at least five men in the Erie region on various child sex-related charges.
The sting, involving federal, state, county and local law enforcement, was revealed in criminal complaints filed on Friday and throughout the weekend. At least one of the accused was reportedly charged federally, according to investigators.
Three of the five have been arraigned and placed in the Erie County Prison.
The ongoing probe, which began late last week and continued throughout the weekend, is a joint operation involving federal agencies including the FBI in Erie, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Erie County District Attorney's Office and its county detectives, the Erie Bureau of Police and the Millcreek Township Police Department, according to Lt. Mark Weindorf, crime section supervisor for state police Troop E in Lawrence Park Township.
Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz reserved comment on the investigation on Monday, noting the ongoing investigation. She deferred all comment to the FBI.
A spokeswoman for the FBI in Pittsburgh said in an email to the Erie Times-News on Monday that the FBI has seen an increase nationwide in child exploitation cases, and those types of investigations are done on a regular basis around the country.
The investigation in the Erie area is part of an ongoing effort to make sure children in the community are safe from people who try to victimize them, the spokeswoman said.
The accused
Charged so far in the investigation are:
Robert L. Murphy Jr., 46, of Erie. Millcreek Township police accuse Murphy of traveling to Asbury Woods Nature Center in Millcreek shortly before midnight on Thursday to meet up with a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl. Authorities said Murphy and an undercover agent who was posing as the girl discussed sexual activity before Murphy showed up at Asbury Woods and was taken into custody, according to information in his criminal complaint. Murphy was arraigned Friday morning on felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and criminal use of a communication facility and was placed in the Erie County Prison on $50,000 bond.
Ryan P. Krawczyk, 32, of Erie. Pennsylvania State Police troopers accuse Krawczyk of contacting an undercover investigator who was posing online as a woman with a 10-year-old daughter and arranging on Saturday to have sex with the child while the mother watched. Krawczyk went to a meeting location on East Avenue in Erie on Saturday and was taken into custody, according to information in his criminal complaint. He was arraigned Sunday on charges including rape of a child, sexual exploitation of children and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and was placed in the Erie County Prison on $200,000 bond.
Dennis K. Ehret, 45, of Erie. Erie police detectives accuse Ehret of contacting an undercover investigator posing as a nearly 14-year-old boy on social media, sending images of himself to the boy, and arranging a ride for the boy to meet him at an address on East Ninth Street in the city for the purposes of having sexual contact on Saturday. Ehret was taken into custody when he exited the East Ninth Street address, according to information in his criminal complaint. Ehret was arraigned Sunday on charges including statutory sexual assault, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault and was placed in the Erie County Prison on $200,000 bond.
At least two other men were taken into custody as part of the investigation, and at least one of them is facing federal charges, according to authorities involved in the investigation. Information on those men, including the charges they face, was not available Monday.
Erie predator catchers
The sting comes after similar operations were done earlier this year by a non-law-enforcement group that calls itself Erie Predator Catchers. Members of the group have set up their own sting operations, with members posing as underage persons online and setting up meetings with people they believed to be preying on minors for sex. The encounters were filmed and posted on Erie Predator Catchers Facebook page.
Members of the group have said that they are doing their investigations as a public service to the community in an effort to expose offenders and prevent child sexual abuse.
More:An Erie High teacher got caught up in online 'predator' web. Tactics are raising concerns
More:Founders of Erie Predator Catchers get caught up in legal woes of their own
Local police and the Erie County District Attorney's Office have said they are aware of Erie Predator Catchers and their investigations, but do not endorse the group and are not working with them on investigations. Law enforcement officials have said that anyone with information on suspected child abuse should contact the appropriate authorities and let them investigate.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Feds, local law enforcement arrest suspects in online child sex sting
