David B. Eller, 61, of 630 S. Mount Joy St., Elizabethtown, arrived at the location only to learn the girl he had allegedly been chatting with on the Internet was in reality an investigator with the state Attorney General’s Office.
Eller was taken into custody in the suburban Harrisburg parking lot and placed under arrest for attempted unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer, according to the Attorney General’s Office
Eller, who has a doctorate in American religious and social history, told police that in addition to chairman of the department, he is director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.
According to newspaper records, Eller is also a minister with the Church of the Brethren who has published numerous articles for a number of scholarly reference works on the history of various religious groups.
Mary Dolheimer, director of media relations for Elizabethtown College, said today, “We are aware of his arrest,’’ and have placed Eller on administrative leave.
“We intend to cooperate fully with authorities,’’ she added, while agents and college officials continue to gather information on the matter.
Except for Eller’s status in the community and college, the circumstances are similar to other arrests by the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit.
During the past month, according to court records, Eller allegedly used Internet chat rooms to make contact with four different undercover agents who were pretending to be young girls.
On June 29, Eller contacted one of the agents, who was posing as a 12-year-old girl, according to court documents, and allegedly asked “the girl’’ what grade she was in and would she mind if he became “personal.’’
The agent, posing as the girl, told Eller that she was going into seventh grade and would turn 13 in a few months, but couldn’t invite him to her birthday party, because her “parents would never understand.Eller agreed, according to the affidavit, writing, “you are right, they never would.’’
He went on to ask the girl questions about the style and color bathing suit she wore, what her sexual experiences had been and discussed in specific detail various sex acts they could perform, according to the affidavit.
Describing himself on the chat room as “an older married guy, Harrisburg area,’’ Eller wrote that he was corresponding from his office and apologized for “occasional interruptions.’’
On Thursday, according to the affidavit, Eller contacted the agent and arranged a meeting that afternoon to allegedly engage in sex acts with the girl.
When he arrived at the specified location, a store parking lot in suburban Harrisburg, Eller was met by agents and police officers.
Eller was arraigned and committed to Dauphin County Prison in lieu of $250,000 cash bail, pending a preliminary hearing, agents said.
If convicted, unlawful contact with a minor, a first-degree felony, carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Criminal use of a computer, a third-degree felony, carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Attorney General Tom Corbett noted that Eller is the 56th person arrested in Pennsylvania by his office’s Child Predator Unit. The unit was created last year to identify and capture child predators before they harm children.
“It is important for parents and children to be aware of on-line dangers and take steps to protect themselves from predators,’’ Corbett said.
Anyone with information about child predators is urged by Corbett or visit the Child Predator Unit section of the Attorney General’s Web site at www.attorneygeneral.gov or call them at 1-800-385-1044.
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