NEW CASTLE, Ind. — An Indiana man has been charged with several felonies after New Jersey police received allegations that he sent nude photos to a 14-year-old girl.
Dalton L. Armstrong, a 29-year-old New Castle resident, was arrested after being charged last week in Henry County Court with two counts of child solicitation and four counts of dissemination of harmful material to a minor.
Police began investigating Armstrong after the parents of a 14-year-old New Jersey girl alleged that he had been inappropriately messaging their daughter. Court documents show the family was tipped off to the suspicious behavior after seeing a message calling the girl “sexy.”
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office said an investigation into Armstrong’s phone and activity on Snapchat showed that he had been sending the girl various nude photos of himself and his current girlfriend. He had also reportedly been sending the 14-year-old links to porn sites.
Police said that, in addition to sending the minor inappropriate materials, Armstrong allegedly asked her for nude photos and videos in return. Deputies also reportedly found that he had sent the child $50 over a cash app.
When officers arrived at Armstrong’s house to execute a search warrant, the suspect reportedly gave his phone and passcode over voluntarily in addition to scheduling an interview at the police station.
However, police reports show that Armstrong did not arrive at the scheduled interview. Rather, a lawyer representing the suspect reportedly contacted police saying that Armstrong would not be giving an interview after rescheduling the meeting several times.
When asked if she thought Armstrong knew what he was doing was wrong, the victim told police he once said “It will be okay so long as we take it to the grave.”
Given the information gathered by police, the Henry County Prosecutor’s Office elected to file the six felony charges against Armstrong. He was later booked into Henry County Jail and is now awaiting a pretrial conference scheduled for July 11.