Lancaster County man charged after confrontation with child-predator vigilante at Ephrata convenience store
Mervin Kinsinger, 25, allegedly thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex on April 29, only to meet the vigilante Mr. 17540, police say. Author: Keith Schweigert (FOX43) Updated: 1:49 PM EDT July 12, 2021
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa.
Note: The video is from April 2018.
Police in Lancaster County have charged a 25-year-old Ephrata man with arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, only to be confronted and recorded on video by a Leola vigilante who was posing as the girl online.
Mervin Wayne Kinsinger was charged last Friday with attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted corruption of minors, and criminal use of a communications facility by West Earl Township Police.
An Ephrata man has been charged with arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex after he drove his horse and buggy to a convenience store, where he was confronted and recorded by a Leola child-predator vigilante in April.
Mervin Wayne Kinsinger, 25, was charged Friday with attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted corruption of minors and criminal use of a communications facility.Â
Kinsinger was expected to surrender to West Earl Township police on Monday for a preliminary arraignment. A message left Friday afternoon for his attorney wasnât immediately returned.
In his brash signature style, Justin Perry â who is known on YouTube and social media as Mr. 17540 for his Leola ZIP code â confronted Kinsinger at the Sheetz on Oregon Pike in West Earl on April 28.