Credit: PA State Police
A Bristol Borough sex offender was arrested Wednesday morning in Bensalem Township after he allegedly attempted to meet what he thought was a juvenile boy for a sexual encounter, police said.
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David Coles Sr., 76, was preliminarily arraigned by District Judge Joseph Falcone on charges of unlawful contact with a minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault, and criminal use of communication facility. He was sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $10 million bail.
Coles was convicted in 1997 of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault. Following that conviction, he was required to report himself as a sex offender for the rest of his life under Megan’s Law, according to police.
In November 2022, Coles posted an advertisement on a dating website, which led to the discovery of Coles by Bensalem Township police investigators. He indicated in his profile that he was seeking a man for oral sex, authorities said.
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After seeing the advertisement, an undercover officer corresponded via emails and texts with Coles while posing as a 14-year-old boy from Bensalem Township, police said.
During those conversations, Coles displayed interest in meeting the teen for a sexual encounter. The communication with the undercover investigator acting as a teen then died off, police said.
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On February 22, Coles started a discussion on the Grindr app with a boy he thought was in middle school. Coles agreed to meet the boy, pick him up, and transport him to his residence in Bristol Borough throughout the talk.
Coles is alleged to have “continually expressed” interest in meeting the boy and engaging in oral sex at the Bristol Borough apartment, police said.
When Coles arrived to a location in Bensalem Township around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday to meet the teen, investigators from the Bensalem Township Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit and Special Investigation Unit were waiting, according to a press release.
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Coles was taken into custody and then questioned by investigators.
“It is possible that David Coles Sr. has met juveniles in the past utilizing dating apps,” police said.
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Coles is said to have used the aliases “Tiny Coles,” “Harvey Coles,” “Tiny Harvey,” and “Huey Duck,” according to state police.
Anyone with information on Coles has been asked to contact Detective Ryan Kolb at 215-633-3746.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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