Fifth man arrested after investigation into sexual abuse of 12-year-old boy in Montco

A fifth man was arrested on charges stemming from a year-long police investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy in Upper Gwynedd Township.

Court records show that Daniel Nixon, 25, of Hatfield, was arrested and arraigned on July 28. The investigation shows that he is charged with rape of a child, sexual assault of a minor, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of a person under 13, enticement of a minor, child pornography and solicitation of child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, Nixon and the boy began communicating on the app Grindr – and later on Discord – in August 2023. Police allege the communication was sexual in nature, Nixon requested nude photos of the boy, among other things, and they agreed to meet in person the next day.

Nixon allegedly picked up the boy in his father’s car, and after driving around the neighborhood for a short time, he sexually abused the boy in the car, police said. Nixon then said he had to go home to his father, dropped the boy off, blocked him on Discord and never spoke to him again, according to charging documents.

Police said they traced the digital communications and IP addresses to accounts belonging to Nixon and his home on Park Avenue in Hatfield Township. The victim also positively identified Nixon through a photo lineup during the investigation, the affidavit said.

Nixon is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before Magistrate District Judge Suzan Leonard on August 15 at noon. He is currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on $105,000 cash bail.

The first investigation

As originally reported by North Penn now in April, the investigation began on September 7, 2023, when a 12-year-old boy was reported missing to Upper Gwynedd Police. Officials said a review of the boy’s iPad showed he had been involved in sexual contact with 24-year-old Nicholas Benotto of Doylestown and the two had arranged to meet at the time the boy was last seen.

While driving with the boy, Benotto was contacted by a family member who told him that police wanted to speak with him about the boy’s whereabouts, investigators said. Benotto then drove to the William Penn Inn, where police took the boy into custody and conducted a preliminary examination with Benotto, the criminal complaint states.

Benotto told investigators he met the boy the previous day on the dating app Grindr. The boy claimed to be 18 years old, police said. Benotto added that he and the boy had sexual contact, sent each other explicit photos and then arranged to meet, charging documents say.

During his interviews with police, Benotto insisted he did not know the boy was 12 years old. The messages Benotto sent to the boy included “can you prove your age?”, “how old are you?” and “school ID or something,” according to the indictment. Benotto also claimed the boy said he had lost his wallet and driver’s license, so he could not prove his age, police said.

Benotto was charged with attempted sexual assault, possession of child pornography, solicitation of child pornography and enticement of a minor. He is currently free on $100,000 bail while he awaits his preliminary hearing on Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. before Judge Suzan Leonard.

Additional suspects identified as investigation continues

During the course of the investigation, police say they conducted a forensic download of the boy’s phone and iPad, which allegedly revealed additional sexual interactions with other men, including 24-year-old Joseph Slover of Towamencin, 21-year-old Tristan Anderson of Upper Providence and 31-year-old Brock Tharp of Bally.

Slover, Anderson and Tharp were arrested in the spring as part of the investigation. More information on the charges against these three defendants can be found here. Coverage of Slover’s recent confession to sexual assault can be found here.

Further arrests could follow

In an earlier interview with North Penn nowPolice said the investigation was ongoing as more messages from the boy’s phone had been found and investigators were working to identify the other men involved. Speaking further on Wednesday afternoon, Sergeant Robert Pro, who is serving as lead investigator, confirmed the investigation was ongoing and charges could be filed against another suspect.

Upper Gwynedd Police Chief Constable David Duffy described the investigation as “unusual” when asked about multiple arrests in connection with different incidents involving the same victim, but added that he had encountered similar circumstances before throughout his career.

“The investigation was complex and time consuming, but that is always necessary when the victims are minors,” Duffy said. “Sgt. Pro did an excellent job on this case as there are now multiple suspects and arrests.”

If you or someone you know is being sexually abused, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or visit online.rainn.org. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline is also available here.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled from public court records.

This article appears courtesy of a content sharing agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. For more articles like this, visit www.NorthPennNow.com.

Originally published: August 2, 2024 at 11:17 am