NORRISTOWN — A Philadelphia man admitted to having sexual contact with a 12-year-old Montgomery Township girl in a parked vehicle in Hatfield Township after communicating with the girl on Instagram.
Jean De La Cruz Acevedo, 21, of the 5100 block of Penn Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony charges of statutory sexual assault and corruption of a minor in connection with a January 2023 incident.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Acevedo who will undergo a psychosexual evaluation as part of that investigation.
The open plea means Acevedo has no deals with prosecutors regarding his potential sentence. Acevedo faces a possible maximum sentence of 8½ to 17 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
Regardless the sentence that Acevedo eventually receives, he will face a 15-year requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The judge ordered that Acevedo also undergo an evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator. Those classified as predators face more stringent restrictions while on parole or probation.
Acevedo remains free on bail pending the sentencing hearing. As a condition of bail, Acevedo is prohibited from having contact with the victim.
The investigation began about 12:49 a.m. Jan. 3, 2023, when Hatfield Township police observed a Mercedes vehicle with dark tinted windows, with its lights illuminated, suspiciously parked in the lot of Manheim Philadelphia Auto Auction in the 2200 block of Bethlehem Pike.
When police knocked on the driver’s side of the vehicle, the rear driver’s side window went down and Acevedo informed police he was “with a female” and needed to get dressed, according to the criminal complaint filed by Hatfield Township Detective Eric Geiger.
Due to the dark tinted windows, police only caught a glimpse of the female’s face when she leaned forward from the rear passenger seat and Acevedo, then 20 years old, told police the female had to get dressed. A short time later, a 12-year-old girl emerged from the vehicle, according to court documents.
Police took custody of the girl and took her home to her parents, who informed detectives that the girl had a cellphone.
When detectives downloaded the contents of the girl’s cellphone they discovered the girl had been communicating with Acevedo via the Instagram social media app during the late evening hours of Jan. 2. During the Instagram communications, Acevedo sent the girl messages that he was on his way to her Montgomery Township home and at 10:56 p.m. Jan. 2 he expressed “I’m here,” court papers indicate.
When the girl was interviewed by child social workers she disclosed she knew Acevedo as “J” and had met him through mutual friends. The girl disclosed that Acevedo contacted her via cellphone on Jan. 2 and said he wanted to hang out. The girl told investigators that Acevedo arrived at her house and “she snuck out to go with him,” according to the criminal complaint.
“(The girl) said they went to Wawa before parking in the parking lot in Hatfield. (The girl) indicated they got into the back seat to eat at which point Mr. De La Cruz Acevedo told her he wanted to have sex with her,” Geiger alleged. “(The girl) told him it was ok because they were good friends.”
The girl told investigators that Acevedo touched her, undressed her and had sexual contact with her, court papers indicate.
“(The girl) said that they stopped having sex when the police arrived and knocked on the door,” Geiger wrote in the criminal complaint.
