Convicted sex offender arrested after allegedly trying to pick up teenage girl from local school

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — A convicted sex offender was arrested after he allegedly tried to take a 13-year-old girl he’d been messaging on social media out of Connellsville Area Middle School on Wednesday.

Jason Meals, 32, drove three hours from his home in Erie, Pennsylvania, to pick up the victim from school.

According to the criminal complaint, Meals identified himself as the victim’s uncle and said he was there to take her to a doctor’s appointment. The complaint says that Meals stated the victim told him that she did not have anyone to take her to the appointment and her parents were OK with him doing so.

The victim and her sister told school officials they did not know who he was, according to the complaint. Meals also said that he never spoke with the victim’s parents or anyone at the school to confirm.

The criminal complaint says that during a police interview, Meals admitted that he had been talking to the victim on Snapchat for a few days and that he knew she was 13. He claimed she knew he was 32 years old.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim told police that she had been talking to Meals on Snapchat for a week. She said he asked her for naked photos and would not stop. She admitted she sent him nude photos on Snapchat and a video.

The complaint says the victim did not know Meals was coming to her school to pick her up. She said her location was on and her full name was listed on her profile.

She stated that she was talking to Meals throughout the day and his last message to her read “I’m here.”

She then saw Meals talking to school security, paperwork shows.

According to the complaint, Meals admitted that he and the victim had talked about being together and their plans, including moving in together, saying “I love you” to each other, and a variety of sexual things.

The complaint says he “wasn’t sure what to do because he was already in a relationship.”

He is being held in Fayette County Prison and is being charged with attempt to kidnap a minor, attempt statutory sexual assault and more.

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