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Members of the Berks County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force said the sting, which happened on Tuesday, Sept. 13, targeted "Johns" in the county.
Undercover detectives operated the investigation by placing ads on websites commonly used for sexual advertisements, they said.
Three men responded to the ads, and agreed to meet and have sex with children between the ages of 13 and 15 at a hotel in the county in exchange for money, authorities said.
When the "Johns" arrived at the unnamed hotel, they were arrested without incident and charged with statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, prostitution, and criminal use of a communication facility.
The arrestees were identified as the following:
- David E. Capuzzi, 35, of Chester Springs
- Stephen Richard Field, 33, of Shillington
- Earnest Baer Martin, 79, of Elm
Capuzzi and Field were brought to the Berks County Sheriff’s Department Central Processing Center where they were officially charged and arraigned by a judge.
Bail was set at $30,000 for each man.
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