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Bradley O'Dell, 57, exchanged messages online with the 13-year-old victim before arranging to meet in-person, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Belleville Police Chief Mark Minichini said.
O'Dell sexually assaulted the victim on three separate occasions during September in Lyndhurst, Belleville and Nutley, Minichini and Stephens said.
O'Dell was charged following an investigation by the Belleville Police Department with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and luring a minor.
“This case highlights how important it is for parents to play an active role in their children's online behavior and to monitor usage of social media,’’ Stephens said.
The Prosecutor's Office is asking that anybody who may have additional information regarding this case to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit at 973-753-1130.
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