2 Butler men waive charges of sexually deviant behavior
Two men on Monday waived to court charges of sexually deviant behavior with minors during preliminary hearings.
Anthony John Smith, 42, of Butler faces charges of unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, sexual abuse of children through the production of child pornography and interference with custody of children. He is in Butler County Prison on $50,000 bail.
Police say Smith posed as a 15-year-old during initial online communications with a minor in El-Paso, Texas. Their correspondence grew to include platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram and Textnow, and other social media outlets.
Smith also soon shed his online persona, police said, and began asking the girl to send him explicit photos of herself. In turn, Smith sent her nude photos of himself and a video in which he performs a sex act, according to court documents. Police said Smith also urged the girl to seek “emancipation” from her parents so they could be together, and engaged the girl in “sexualized chatting and texting.”On Monday, he waived to court charges.Edwin D. Bell, 64, of Butler is charged with counts of rape, indecent assault and corruption of minors. Police said in an Oct. 25 interview with Bell he admitted to kissing the girl on the mouth sometime last month, and “stated he had more than just a regular affection for her.” He too waived to court charges. And he made no comments during his appearance.
