A Lancaster man faces several felony charges after police said he attempted to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex in August that actually turned out to be a well-known local man who uses social media sites to catch predators.
Justin Robert Williams, 34, of the 2100 block of Lincoln Highway East, was charged Nov. 16 by West Earl Township Police with statutory sexual assault, obscene and other sexual materials and performances, criminal use of a communication facility and corruption of minors for the incident that took place Aug. 28 at the Sonic Restaurant in the 4000 block of Oregon Pike in Brownstown.
According to an affidavit of probable cause:
A West Earl Township Police officer notified his sergeant on Aug. 29 that a live feed video had been posted the previous night on social media by Leola resident Justin Perry, also known as “Mr. 17540.” Perry represents himself as a 14-year-old female online to catch child predators.
The video showed that Perry met up with Williams at the Sonic after Williams made arrangements to have “sexual relations” with what he thought to be a 14-year-old female. In the video posted on Perry’s Facebook and YouTube pages, Williams admits that he was supposed to meet a teen at the restaurant for sex.
Investigators contacted Perry who consented to having his phone analyzed by the Lancaster County Digital Forensic Unit. An analysis of the phone found a photo sent to Perry of Williams’ genitalia and text messages indicating that Williams was going to bring condoms along to the meeting at the restaurant.
In the video, Williams shows Perry a pack of condoms in his pocket that he had just purchased.
Williams came to the West Earl Township Police Department on Aug. 30 where he admitted he knew the girl he was messaging was 14 years old. He also admitted to sending a picture of his genitalia and a video to the supposed teen.
Williams turned himself into police the day police filed charges last week. He was arraigned before District Judge Jonathan Heisse and was released on $75,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Nov. 30.
Mr. 17540
Perry, known on YouTube and other social media sites as Mr. 17540 for his Leola ZIP code, has been using the teenage alias online for more than four years, catching dozens of alleged predators in the process.
Perry’s Facebook page alone has more than 59,000 followers with thousands of viewers tuning in live as he sets up sting operations at local businesses to meet the men.
He rose to prominence in 2018 when he caught then 36-year-old Thomas H. Wise of Columbia attempting to meet a 15-year-old girl in downtown Lancaster. The 20-minute video went viral as Perry follows Wise around the sidewalks of the city and Wise admits to the arranged sexual encounter.
Wise pled guilty in September of 2019 to felony charges, including attempted statutory sexual assault, receiving just under a two-year sentence and a requirement to register as a sex offender.
A second video posted by Perry went viral last year when he confronted then 25-year-old Mervin Wayne Kinsinger of Ephrata who had come to the Sheetz on Oregon Pike in Brownstown in his Amish buggy to meet a 14-year-old girl. Kinsinger is still awaiting trial in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas on charges that include attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted corruption of minors and criminal use of a communications facility.
Perry is known for his distinctive “17540” tattoo on his neck, a shirt that says “Remember my face” he wears to confront the alleged suspects and his catch phrase, “Remember my face, because everybody’s going to know yours.”
Justin is an awesome man.Keep um safe.He deserves to be recognized for all his hard work.