LANCASTER, PA — A Narvon man was sentenced to two to ten years in prison for attempting to have sex with a minor, following an undercover sting operation by the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force.
Mervin King, 36, of Reading Road, pleaded guilty last Thursday before Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle. His charges include two counts of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, two counts of statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, and two counts of indecent assault.
The charges stem from an incident in August 2023 when King responded to an online advertisement and began communicating with an undercover officer posing as a family member of a 14-year-old girl. King agreed to pay $200 for a half-hour with the minor.
The meeting place was set at a hotel on North Reamstown Road, East Cocalico Township, where King was apprehended before he could enter. At the time of his arrest, King possessed $200.63 and the cell phone used to arrange the illicit transaction.
As part of his sentence, King is required to register as a sex offender with the Pennsylvania State Police for the rest of his life. The case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to protect minors from sexual exploitation.
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Amos Glick filed charges against King.
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