Lock Haven, Pa. — A Lock Haven man was charged after he allegedly planned sex with someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl, but was actually a member of an online predator hunting group.
Jason Michael Paulhamus, 31, is accused of speaking about sex over the course of a month with a person from 814 Pred Hunters posing as a young girl. He remains wanted by the Lock Haven Police Department.
On June 1, a man representing 814 Pred Hunters reached out to Detective Richard Simpson, notifying him that his group had been “dealing with” a man from Lock Haven and passed along screenshots of text messages and recorded phone calls between the decoy and Paulhamus.
Simpson looked over the documented communication beginning on May 1. The decoy reportedly told Paulhamus over their first phone call, and later again in messages, that she was 15 years old.
Between their first conversation on May 1 and their last on June 2, Paulhamus allegedly asked the decoy multiple times for explicit photos and what kind of sex acts she would like to perform on him when they eventually met up. He told her where he lives and asked at one point if she could arrange for him to be picked up to come see her, according to Simpson.
On Aug. 24, Detective Simpson went to Paulhamus’s home and spoke with him. He allegedly confirmed that he had been chatting with the decoy and that she said she was “like 26.”
Paulhamus said they met on Facebook Dating after they “matched.” He denied that the decoy said she was 15 years old.
However, when Simpson said he had seen messages between them, Paulhamus allegedly said “he was not thinking straight and had bad judgement,” and that they had tried to meet up but never did. He also said he last spoke with the decoy on Aug. 23.
On Aug. 25, Paulhamus was charged with third-degree felonies of attempted corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility. His case is currently marked inactive, and he has not been arraigned at this time.
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