A Narvon man arrested by the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force was sentenced to 2 to 10 years in prison last Thursday after pleading guilty to attempting to have sex with a 14-year-old in an undercover sting operation.

Mervin King, 36 of the 1000 block of Reading Road, pleaded guilty before Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle to two counts of patronizing a victim of human trafficking, two counts of statutory sexual assault (11 years older), corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, and two counts of indecent assault (person less than 16 years old).

King must register as a sex offender with Pennsylvania State Police for the rest of his life.

The Human Trafficking Task Force conducted an undercover detail in August 2023 focused on solicitation of minors online.

King responded to an online advertisement and began communicating with an undercover Human Trafficking Task Force detective, who posed as a family member to what was described to King during the conversation as a 14-year-old female.

King agreed to pay $200 to have sex with the minor for 30 minutes.

The undercover detective instructed King to meet at a hotel in the 400 block of North Reamstown Road, East Cocalico Township, and met with the undercover officer before entering the hotel.

King was then arrested and was in possession of $200.63 and the cell phone used to facilitate the crime.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Amos Glick filed charges.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.