On December 23, 22-year-old, Nicholas Peterson, of Lycoming County, was arrested and charged with several crimes after a 14-year-old girl reported multiple instances when Peterson allegedly provided the minor drugs and alcohol in exchange for sexual acts. On February 11, Peterson was charged with 67 additional counts following the alleged victim’s testimony at his preliminary hearing. Peterson faces charges including trafficking in individuals, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault without the consent of others, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication facility, selling and furnishing liquor to a minor, and drug charges.
As we previously reported, Peterson allegedly contacted the minor victim through Snapchat by asking her to come over to his home for sexual favors in exchange of marijuana, liquor, and vapes. According to the report, Peterson met with the minor victim multiple times, forcing her to perform oral sex on him and digitally penetrating her. Police allege that at one point during their multiple encounters, the victim refused to engage in a sexual act, but Peterson grabbed her by the throat and further forced her to have sex with him.
During the February 11 preliminary hearing, the minor victim testified to Peterson assaulting her ten times. Additionally, the minor victim claimed that Peterson called their arrangement: “the situation.” She explained that Peterson would ask her if she needed anything before taking her to an upstairs bedroom and stated that “he forcibly removed my clothes when I said no,” further stating that Peterson touched her and made her touch him.
During the minor victim’s testimony, she also claimed that Peterson told her that she could not come over when his girlfriend was home, as well as explained that Peterson would pick her up from a park in the middle of the day. The minor victim testified to spending the night once and that Peterson would keep a black box of marijuana underneath his bed, giving her some after assaulting her. Based on the minor victim’s testimony, Prosecutor Korrin Moon added 67 counts to Peterson’s case.
Although, as stated before, if the reported facts are proven to be true, then the charges of trafficking in individuals are warranted. Because Peterson enticed a 14-year-old girl to perform sexual acts with him in exchange for alcohol and drugs, Peterson indeed did commit one of the acts required to satisfy the elements of the human trafficking charge. It is also important to consider that under both federal and state law, any commercial sexual exploitation of minors constitutes sex trafficking because children cannot consent to be bought or sold for sex.
The CSE Institute commends the incredible bravery and strength of the survivor in this case. Their courage in coming forward is a powerful step toward justice and accountability. We stand in solidarity with all survivors and remain committed to advocating for policies that support and protect those affected by exploitation and trafficking.
The CSE Institute also praises the collaborative efforts of the Williamsport Bureau of Police, the Lycoming County District Attorney’s office, and Prosecutor Korrin Moon for not only arresting and prosecuting Peterson, but also prioritizing the protection of minors from commercial sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania. We must remain committed to criminalizing human trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable young individuals, as doing so will significantly decrease the demand for commercial sex and contribute to the overall reduction of human trafficking. Furthermore, we urge law enforcement to actively safeguard their communities by thoroughly investigating suspected cases of sex trafficking and encourage prosecutors across the state to apply human trafficking statutes when appropriate.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.