Delco DA: ‘She Trusted Him’

*The victim's name and photos have been removed from this story because of the details of the case.

“She trusted him,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said Monday about a 13-year-old Radnor girl who met up with a 20-year-old man she met online.

On Monday, Dec. 10 Ashley Hareford, of Virginia, was extradited to Pennsylvania to face felony charges that could mean nearly a century in prison. He is being held in Delaware County Prison on $1 million bail.

"We warn parents today to be careful, to know when your child is on the internet, if at all possible, to know your child's password to use filters and be familiar with what your child is doing on the Internet," Whelan said. (Watch a video by clicking here.)

As Hareford was led by police from Radnor Police station’s sally port into a waiting truck, he was asked by a reporter “Why did you do this to a little girl?” Hareford responded, “I didn’t.”

But the District Attorney said that Hareford had made a statement admitted to acts that lead to the charges of Involuntary Deviant Sexual Intercourse, Statutory Sexual Assault, Indecent Assault, Criminal Use of a Communication Facility, Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Exposure and Corrupting the Morals of a Minor.

Hareford traveled from Virginia to meet the girl in person. They saw each other the weekend of Dec. 1, and were found Dec. 4 in Washington, D.C. They may have been headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C. where her mother lives, Whelan said.

The charges stem from incidents that weekend in Delaware and Montgomery counties. According to Whalen, each knew each other’s age.

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