Sex sting results in arrest of NY man

STAFF REPORT

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — State authorities arrested a New York man after he traveled to the city for what he thought would be a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl, court records say.

The “girl” was really a special agent for the Pennsylvania attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Child Predator Unit.

Jeffrey Kimmel, 43, of East Aurora, N.Y., was arrested Friday and arraigned before District Magistrate Melissa Amodie. He faces four felony charges of unlawful contact with a minor and a felony charge of criminal use of communication facilities.

His preliminary hearing was set for today.

He contacted the agent over computers and a cell phone, says the affidavit of probable cause on file at Amodie’s office.

The affidavit says Kimmel first contacted the agent Jan. 13 while she was undercover in an Internet chat room. After his arrest, he told investigators that contacts on the 13th and Jan. 14 were made from his father’s computer at his parents’ home in East Aurora.

He said he chatted with the agent at his own home in East Aurora on Jan. 20 using his girlfriend’s computer.

The affidavit says Kimmel engaged the agent in sexually explicit conversations and sent her from his cell phone a sexually explicit picture of his genitals.

He arranged to meet her in New Castle on Friday. The affidavit doesn’t specify where in the city they were to meet.

When he showed up, he was arrested. He was still texting messages to the agent up until then, the affidavit says.

The affidavit says Kimmel admitted he is the person who communicated with the agent.

He said he brought a sex toy and some wine coolers as gifts for the girl.

Kimmel remained in the Lawrence County jail after his arrest.