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Joseph Thomas Patterson Sr. of New Holland was arrested on Dec. 1, around 1 p.m. area police announced on Monday, Dec. 5.
The girl's parents first discovered Patterson's text when a cellphone she only had recently gotten access to use "kept going off" while on a family vacation, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
**WARNING the following includes graphic descriptions of assault and strong language which may offend some readers**
The parents soon found texts send from Patterson 's phone number saved under the name "Joe" as he was an acquaintance of the family. In the messages sent to the girl he allegedly texted the following: "I want to fuck you," "(You're) hot AF (as fuck)," and "when are we going to bang?" all sent between March 3 and May 4, 2022, the police state in the affidavit after reviewing the texts as part of their investigation.
The girl was interviewed by the Children's Alliance Advocacy Center and she detailed two incidents before the texts started.
The first incident happened while she was holding a 1-year-old infant in his laundry room, court records detail— it is unclear if the child she was holding was his and she was possibly babysitting for Patterson as he got married and his wife had a baby in Sept. 2021, according to his social media.
During this incident came up behind her and reached "underneath her bra fondling her breast," the girl explained to the CAAC according to the affidavit for probable cause.
The second incident happened in his bedroom— and again she was holding the infant—she was laying back with her knees bent when Patterson walked in and supposedly asked if she wanted "to do it" and she told him "no" but he insisted by touching and "rubbing" her legs and abdomen when he reached under her bra and began to "fondle" her again, she attempted to flee but he pushed her back on the bed and continued to fondle her, a police state in the court documents.
The police say they have been unable to get Patterson's side of the story as he refuses to talk with them.
He's been charged with 10 felonies for false imprisonment of a minor, counts of indecent assault of a person under 13 years of age, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and criminal use of a communication facility, according to his court docket.
Patterson has been held in the Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $100,000 in bail and his preliminary hearing has been set before Magisterial District Judge Jonathan W. Heisse on Dec. 14 at 9 a.m., his docket details.
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