A 25-year-old Coatesville man remained locked up at Lancaster County Prison on Tuesday, unable to post bail after police say he drove roughly 20 miles across county lines to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. Christopher Althouse was taken into custody at the intersection of West Main and South Fulton streets in Strasburg, where officers say he arrived expecting to meet a minor for sex.
According to Fox43, the case began when an adult male complainant created an online profile portraying himself as a 13-year-old female and encountered Althouse through an online platform. Police say the two engaged in sexual conversations over several months before Althouse arranged plans to meet who he thought was the underage girl, prompting the complainant to report the exchanges to Strasburg Borough Police.
Strasburg Borough officers responded to the intersection of West Main and South Fulton streets after receiving the report of a man attempting to meet with a minor, according to police. Once confronted, Althouse reportedly confessed that he had traveled from Coatesville to Strasburg specifically to engage in sex with the minor he believed he was meeting, per the police report.
A Cross-County Trip and a Digital Trail
The drive from Coatesville, in Chester County, to Strasburg, in Lancaster County, covers about 20 miles along Route 30 and Route 741 — roughly a 30-minute trip, according to Rome2Rio. That distance underscores how the alleged online relationship, which police say unfolded over several months, ultimately drew Althouse out of his home county to a small Lancaster County borough for an in-person meeting…