Sex offender back in jail
Apr. 6—SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP — A registered sex offender from Springfield Township is in jail after an accusation that he tried to get a teenage girl to send him nude photos.
David Thomas Bennett, 30, was charged Wednesday by state police with failure to register with state police, failure to provide accurate registration information, solicitation of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.
In 2017, Bennett was accused of sexually assaulting a girl he met online, according to Herald archives.
The Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law website shows that he was added to the sex offender registry after being convicted in 2018.
A concerned resident reached out to the Megan's Law Section of the state police to report that they received a Snapchat friend request from a "D. Bennett," according to the criminal complaint.
The resident noticed that the social media application showed D. Bennett as being located at an address where a registered sex offender named David Bennett lived.
Bennett's last recorded Megan's Law update was made in September, and it did not include a Snapchat account.
He is required to report all internet identifiers to state police.
On March 2, police created a Snapchat account portraying a girl with a fictitious name. They sent a friend request to Bennett and he accepted.
Bennett requested the account holder's age. Police gave an age of almost 16 and he sent several photos of himself, giving his age as 30.
Police recorded the Springfield Township location of the device Bennett was using, and on March 7, he told police that he had opened a Snapchat account and used it to communicate with a 15-year-old girl and send her photos.
Bennett said he created the account when he was incarcerated in 2018 and added it to his Megan's Law registration.
A search warrant for Bennett's Snapchat account showed that he also exchanged messages with an unidentified person who said they were 22.
Bennett replied that he was looking for someone younger. The other user said they could send photos of a 13-year-old girl.
That person then sent Bennett photos of a nude female in a classroom. He also asked for a live photo.
Bennett was taken to Mercer County Jail after failing to post bond.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Suspects are to be considered innocent until proven or adjudicated guilty in court.
