Pa. state constable charged with having sex with underage girl

A 27-year-old state constable from Berks County has been arrested and charged with having indecent sexual contact with a minor whom he befriended on a social networking website.

Bradley A. Buchanan, of Birdsboro, surrendered to detectives with the Berks County District Attorney’s Office Feb. 17, according to court records and local news reports.

Allentown’s Morning Call newspaper reported that Buchanan has been a constable with the magisterial district court in Birdsboro, Pa. for more than a year.

Constables, who are elected, essentially serve as police for Pennsylvania district courts.

According to his criminal docket sheet, Buchanan was arraigned on Feb. 17 before Magisterial District Judge Nicholas M. Bentz, Jr. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 27.

Buchanan has been charged with statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault with someone less than 16 years of age, indecent assault of a person under 16, indecent exposure, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor and luring a child into a motor vehicle.

According to the Morning Call report, Buchanan “friended” the victim on Facebook and they started talking daily, despite the fact that Buchanan knew the victim’s age.

The newspaper attributed information about the case to county detectives.

The investigators served a search warrant at Buchanan’s home on Feb. 10, seizing a cell phone and condoms, the article stated.

The investigation began after the 15-year-old girl’s mother contact Birdsboro police to report the alleged indecent assault on her daughter.