A Westmoreland County man was arrested after a child sex sting set up by the “Predator Poachers” group, police said.
In a press release, Sharon police said they were called around 10 p.m. Sunday by the Predator Poachers, who said they had lured a man to the Sharon area in a child sex sting.
Police said the group, which is comprised of private citizens who try to identify sexual predators, had lured 47-year-old Calvin Kendall of Vandergrift, Westmoreland County, to the Sharon area.
According to police, Kendall, who is a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, traveled to an address on Frank Street in Sharon, Mercer County, believing he’d have sex with an 11-year-old girl and her mother.
Based on the information and evidence presented to officers at the scene, police said Kendall was arrested. Authorities also said he was in possession of items identified as “sex toys.”
During an interview with a Sharon police officer, police said Kendall made incriminating statements “regarding this incident and his intent.”
Kendall was charged with felony counts of statutory sexual assault and sexual assault. He was taken to the Mercer County Jail to await arraignment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 13, according to court paperwork.
In recent years, more and more groups have posed online as decoys, setting up stings for people looking for sexual encounters with kids. But in some cases, the vigilante justice leads to charges being dropped because of the way the law is written in Pennsylvania.
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