Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Evesham Township Police Chief Christopher Chew announced that a Marlton man has been charged with having sex in his home with an underage girl he met through a messaging app.
Charles E. Torrence, 49, of the 300 block of Summer Lane, was charged with Sexual Assault (Second Degree) and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree).
Torrence was lodged in the Burlington County Jail. A detention hearing will be held later this week in Superior Court. The case will then be referred to a Grand Jury for possible indictment.
The investigation began after law enforcement authorities from Ocean County, where the victim resides, contacted the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and indicated she had come forward with her parents to report the assault.
The investigation revealed that Torrence and the victim met last month through Kik and corresponded through texts and FaceTime for approximately one week before he traveled to her home and returned with her to his residence to have sexual intercourse.
Torrence was taken into custody Saturday following a motor vehicle stop by the Stafford Township Police Department in the victim’s housing development. Torrence was charged with luring in Ocean County.
Additional details are being withheld in an effort to protect the identity of the victim.
The case was investigated by the Evesham Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Stafford Township Police Department. The lead investigators are ETPD Detective David Niji and BCPO Detectives Mel Rogers and Brian Cunningham.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.