From staff reports
A Clarion County man is facing several felony charges for allegedly using Facebook to contact a 15-year-old girl for sex.
A criminal complaint filed by Butler state police says Anthony Painter, 20, of St. Petersburg, made arrangements via Facebook messages to meet the girl. Painter asked the girl to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of herself, the complaint said.
The girl said she sent photos of herself nude and partially nude to Painter and in return he sent her inappropriate photos of himself and told her to delete the photos, according to the complaint.
Police interviewed the girl on April 13, and she said that on April 11 Painter told her he would meet her in 10 minutes at her home.
The complaint says the girl left her home and got into Painter’s car, then drove a short distance down a gravel road and parked.
The girl told police that after Painter parked the car, the two got into the back seat to talk. The girl said that when she and Painter were in the back seat “stuff happened,” the complaint said.
The girl’s mother told police her daughter told her about the sexual relations on April 11 and that the girl told Painter she was 15.
Painter was interviewed by police on April 11 and claimed he didn’t know the girl and hadn’t messaged her by Facebook or any other means, the complaint said.
Painter was arraigned before Butler County district judge Lewis Stoughton on charges of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and sexual abuse of children.
He is in the Butler County jail in lieu of $50,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled May 2.