Man accused of sending sexually explicit messages to young girls
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man is behind bars Tuesday night, and accused of sending sexually explicit messages online to young girls.
Police believe the suspect was reaching out to these teens from an apartment in South Philadelphia.
Fifty-four-year-old Vincent Long was arrested by U.S. Marshals Monday morning.
According to the Kingston Police Department in Luzerne County, an alert father came to police after Long allegedly sent sexual messages to his pre-teen daughter, and teen niece under the screen name "Jamesroberts7456."
U.S. Marshals Service Assistant Chief Deputy Jim Burke said, "Mr. Long was reaching out to young females in the area of Luzerne County, ranging from 12-15 years of age, attempting to gain their friendship and the their trust and eventually to meet for sex.
Police eventually began communicating with Long under a fake social media account posing as a 13-year-old girl.
Most of the messages are too graphic for television, but he allegedly told the officer, "I didn't think you knew about sex, and was afraid to mention it because you're young."
The most recent exchange linked Long to an IP address to an apartment in the 300 block of Tasker Street.
The address was assigned to a woman there.
A woman who answered the door would not comment to Action News.
The marshals say they received the warrant Monday morning and arrested Long around 6 a.m.
Burke said, "During the surveillance Mr. Long was spotted coming out of a residence on the 300 block of Tasker. At that point he was identified by investigators and taken into custody.
He is in jail on $100,000 bail.
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