Greenville man charged after Internet sting

STAFF REPORT

GREENVILLE, Pa. — A Greenville man has been charged with making unlawful contact with a minor in an online sting by the state attorney general’s Child Predator Unit.

John Lee Kearns, 29, Stevenson Road, is accused of using an Internet chat room to sexually proposition what he believed was a 13-year-old girl. An undercover agent from the unit posed as the girl, the attorney general’s office said.

Kerns sent the agent an obscene picture and an obscene webcam video of himself, the attorney general’s office said.

He was arrested July 25 by agents from the unit with help from state police in Mercer.

He’s charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, related to obscene or sexual performances, and one count of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

He will be prosecuted in Mercer County, the attorney general’s office said.