By The Diary
Sep 20, 2024, 00:13 AM EDT
Don-Diego Parkman, a 19-year-old teenager, was arrested as a suspect following an investigation in New Jersey into online child exploitation.
He has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, manufacturing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and endangering the welfare of a child, Acting Mercer County District Attorney Theresa L. Hilton announced Tuesday.
According to prosecutors, Parkman has been working as a “costumed character and mascot” for several companies over the past year, including Somerset Baseball Partners, Devils Arena Entertainment and, most recently, Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, the prosecutor said. ABC News.
Prosecutors also said Parkman worked at Six Flags Great Adventure. However, in a statement, the company clarified that he had been hired after passing a criminal background check, but “never completed the process and therefore never worked” there.
The Mercer County District Attorney’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and New Jersey State Police (NJSP) said they received information earlier this month from law enforcement in Missouri about a minor in their area who had allegedly been chatting and exchanging child sexual abuse material with Parkman.
Detectives allege Parkman was directing the pre-teen girl to take photos and videos of herself engaging in sexual conduct to send to him.
Last week, the ICAC Unit, as well as the Hamilton Township Police SWAT team, executed a search warrant at Parkman’s home, where detectives said they seized several items of “evidentiary value.” The suspect was also taken into custody at that time.
- Alarm over increase in sexual abuse in New York, including children and elderly women
“Parkman is no longer employed by Sesame Place. His arrest is not related to Sesame Place and any questions should be directed to the Mercer County District Attorney’s Office,” the company said in a statement.
A former co-worker said she was not surprised by the charges. “I know a lot of girls and young women, including myself, were uncomfortable with the way he treated them, looked at them and talked to them,” she said.
Devils Arena Entertainment said Parkman has not worked for them since April and will not return this season.
All charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
In a similar case, last week David Burgos Collazo was sentenced to 45 years in prison for luring several minors to send him explicit photographs and videos by posing as a modeling agent in NYC.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has been warning since 2020 about an increase in cases of child pornography due to the increased time spent online by adults and children using social media.
In January, New York City Police (NYPD) officer Angad Beharry and Gisianet Christina Chirinos Viloria were arrested and charged on suspicion of sexually exploiting a 9-year-old girl. Also that month, an elderly Westchester County (NY) resident was indicted on federal charges of sexually exploiting minors using the Snapchat app.
If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being abused, especially if you are a minor or an elderly person:
Seek help
- Call 911, 988 or (800)-942-6906.
- Text “WELL” to 65173.
- Check information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/ and www.988lineadevida.org