Police say a 30-year-old Bensalem Township man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly arranged to meet a 13-year-old he had been messaging on a social-media dating app. The meeting was set for June 23, and according to authorities, the suspect drove to the agreed location, where officers were waiting and took him into custody. He faces multiple charges, including unlawful contact with a minor and sexual abuse of children involving photo and video material, and is being held on $5,000,000 bail.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, the suspect is 30-year-old Bo Branstetter of Bensalem Township. Investigators told the outlet that Branstetter allegedly kept up explicit conversations even after the person he believed he was talking to said she was 13, sent explicit photos of himself, and requested explicit images from the child before arranging the meetup. When he arrived at the location on June 23, police say officers were there waiting. Authorities charged him with unlawful contact with a minor, sexual abuse of children (photo and video) and related offenses and set bail at $5,000,000.
Prior New Jersey Charges
Camden County records outline an earlier undercover investigation that accused Branstetter of similar conduct in New Jersey. A summary from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office states that an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old on the Whisper app reported that Branstetter sent explicit photos and arranged to meet at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken. He was arrested there and charged with luring and other offenses. Those county documents also indicate he was out on bail in that New Jersey case at the time of the Bensalem arrest.
Bensalem's Internet-Sting Work
Bensalem Township police have been running a series of proactive undercover operations targeting online child predators, working with county and federal task forces. As detailed by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, the department has announced 17 ICAC-related arrests so far this year and 49 arrests over the past three years in child-predator investigations. Local reporting earlier this year also highlighted similar stings, including a February arrest of a New Jersey man accused of soliciting a 13-year-old in Bensalem.
What The Charges Carry
Under Pennsylvania law, unlawful contact with a minor is codified at 18 Pa.C.S. § 6318, which makes it a felony to intentionally contact a minor to facilitate prohibited sexual activity. The statute covering sexual abuse of children and offenses involving images, 18 Pa.C.S. § 6312, criminalizes photographing or distributing child sexual-abuse material and includes felony penalties and potential sex-offender registration. All criminal allegations are subject to proof in court, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and have asked anyone with information to contact the Bensalem Township Police Department. NBC10 Philadelphia first reported the arrest and cited police sources for details of the case.
