Officials: Bristol man charged with multiple child sexual offenses
David Coles Sr. Booking Photo (Bensalem Police)
BENSALEM, Pa. - A 76-year-old Bristol man was arrested in Bensalem after he arrived to, what he thought, would be a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy.
Members of Bensalem Police Criminal Investigations Unit and SVU were on hand when Coles Sr. showed up for the encounter with the alleged juvenile.
Officials said Coles, Sr. is a Lifetime Megan's Law Offender. He was convicted in 1997 of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse and Aggravated Assault, according to the Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law public website.
Back in November 2022, officials with the Bensalem Police Department were informed that Coles Sr. posted an ad on a dating website. His profile said he was looking for a male to have oral sex.
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Authorities said Coles Sr. then began an email and text message correspondence with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy from Bensalem. Coles Sr. wanted to meet the boy for a sexual encounter, investigators said. The messages with the juvenile tapered off.
February 22, 2023, Coles Sr. started a conversation with a person he thought was a middle-school-aged male on Grindr. In that conversation, Coles Sr. said he would meet the youth and take him in his vehicle to his Bristol apartment, all the while, officials said, Coles Sr. expressed interest in having oral sex with the person he thought was a juvenile at his apartment.
Wednesday, Coles Sr. arrived to the meeting location in Bensalem, where law enforcement were waiting.
He was taken into custody and charged with Unlawful Contact with a Minor, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Aggravated Indecent Assault and other related charges. He was arraigned and is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10 percent of $10 million bail.
Authorities say it is possible Coles Sr. has met other young people on dating apps. Officials urge anyone with information regarding David Coles Sr. to contact Bensalem Police Detective Ryan Kolb at 215-633-3746.