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New Jersey man arrives to face North Strabane human trafficking charges

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A New Jersey man was extradited to Washington County Sunday to face human trafficking charges filed against him last month by North Strabane Township police.

Kevin J. Newell, 53, of Maywood, was taken into custody July 31 after a search of his home by North Strabane police and investigators in Bergen County, N.J. An investigation into human trafficking done by a North Strabane police officer at the request of an agent with the federal Department of Homeland Security Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking team led to the arrest.

Newell was brought to the county by a detective with the Washington County District Attorney’s office after he waived extradition in New Jersey, said township police Chief Brian Hughes.

North Strabane Officer Gary Scherer was contacted in March by a Homeland Security special agent for assistance in a sex trafficking investigation involving an attempt to recruit or entice a minor for sexual servitude.

Scherer, a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, was contacted by the special agent because of his experience in investigations in undercover chatrooms.

The federal investigation reportedly started after an employee of a women’s shelter provided a tip regarding a possible sex trafficking victim.

Scherer talked to the employee and learned that a person using the name Sean McAvoy was trying to get her involved in the pornography industry.

McAvoy, who was later identified as Newell by police, told her he was looking for girls aged 14 to 16 to recruit into the pornography industry.

Police said Newell gave her a video pornography stage name and two email addresses, and told her that he operated a pornography website. Scherer, in court documents, indicated it was a pay-for-access pornographic site.

The officer gained access to the website, capturing images of the suspect’s face and a tattoo on his lower right leg, police said.

Police said the federal agent also gave Scherer text messages and recorded telephone calls between the witness and Newell.

In April, the witness reportedly told Newell she had found underage girls, as he had requested, at a library.

Scherer assumed a fictitious identity as a 15-year-old girl from the Canonsburg area, and Newell was provided with a phone number and the girl’s information, police said.

Newell allegedly sent a text message to the person he thought was the 15-year-old girl.

He allegedly asked for more information and told the girl she was not too young to be made famous.

He also allegedly gave her the video pornography stage name of “Ashley Luv” and said he would take her to Europe and Asia to make her famous in the pornography industry.

Investigators used a federal summons to obtain records of Newell’s cellphone use. A search warrant was used to obtain records and content of his email accounts.

At his arraignment Sunday afternoon before District Judge Jay Weller, Newell was told by the judge to surrender his passport to police because he allegedly had indicated that he planned to take his alleged victims abroad. Newell told Weller the passport had expired, but he did turn it over. He also told the judge he had worked for the past few years as a salesman and baseball writer.

Newell was arraigned on charges of trafficking in individuals, trafficking in minors, unlawful contact with a minor, soliciting of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility. He was placed in Washington County jail on $100,000 bond. As part of his bond conditions, if he is released he must stay away from areas where children may congregate, have no contact with children other than his own and have no access to the internet. He faces a Sept. 4 preliminary hearing before Weller.

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