HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A Bethlehem man faces charges after investigators say he attempted to solicit someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy during an undercover sting.
Donald Steven Lorish, of Bethlehem, was found guilty of Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault, Unlawful Contact with a Minor, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility, according to the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office.
During the month of July, 2024, the Colonial Regional Police Department, in partnership with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Human Trafficking Taskforce, conducted an operation in Hanover Township.
During the course of this investigation, an undercover task force officer with Homeland Security Investigations was posing as a 15-year-old male on Grindr, the DA’s office said.
During the operation, the undercover officer was contacted by an adult man, later identified as Lorish.
Lorish and the undercover officer engaged in explicit conversations regarding sexual acts, according to the DA’s office.
Lorish was aware of the supposed minor’s age, officials said.
On July 22, 2024, Lorish arranged to meet with the minor on Overlook Drive in Hanover Township, the DA’s office said.
Upon his arrival, detectives identified and apprehended Lorish from his vehicle.
A search of Lorish’s phone confirmed that he had Grindr, and the explicit conversations with the undercover officer, authorities said.
Detectives verified that Lorish was aware that he was communicating with an individual he believed to be 15 years old.
Lorish’s convictions carry a combined maximum sentence of up to 67 years in state prison, according to authorities.
The case was investigated by the Colonial Regional Police Department and the Homeland Security Investigations – Human Trafficking Task Force.