Sherlock

A Port Royal man previously arrested in May 2020 for exchanging sexually explicit images with a minor was arraigned Friday on additional charges, court documents stated.

Joshua Michael Sherlock, 33, was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Fred B. Miller and waived his right to a preliminary hearing on 93 new charges of criminal solicitation of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor, dissemination of sexually explicit material and several other charges, the court docket stated.

In the new charges, police accuse Sherlock of soliciting sexually explicit images and videos with 16 minors last summer on the social media app “Kik” and meeting a 16-year-old male in-person.

Using the app under the username “hotjosh5,” Sherlock allegedly exchanged sexually explicit images with the minors from May 3 to June 24, 2020.

According to the complaint, the majority of victims involved in the online messages either purported to be a juvenile or indicated to Sherlock that they had sexually explicit images of other juvenile males.

In a search warrant executed on Sherlock’s iPhone, police discovered pornographic photos of the juvenile males, the report stated.

Sherlock allegedly told police he is sexually attracted to boys ages 13 to 20.

Sherlock was accused of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with the juveniles, and according to the complaint, he allegedly met one 16-year-old male with whom he had sexually explicit conversations.

The two met sometime in 2016 or 2017 in Perry County, Sherlock stated to police, but it was allegedly the only in-person encounter he had with a juvenile, he told police.

Sherlock was previously arrested last May for charges stemming from a 2017 incident.

According to a separate criminal complaint, Sherlock sent and received sexually explicit photos and videos from a 13-year old boy between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1, 2017.

Sherlock turned himself into police Friday for the new charges and waived his right to a preliminary hearing under the advice of defense attorney Brian Vincent Manchester.

Sherlock was released from Blair County Prison Friday after posting cash bail of $100,000 through a professional bondsman.

A formal arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 18 before Miller.

Mirror Staff Writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.