NJ man employed as costumed character and mascot for Somerset Baseball Partners, Sesame Place charged for exchanging sexually-explicit content with pre-teen girl
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Mercer County) – A Mercer County man who worked as a costumed character and mascot at Somerset Baseball Partners, Sesame Place and other locations was arrested Tuesday for allegedly exchanging sexually-explicit content with pre-teen girl , according to Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa L. Hilton.
Don-Diego Parkman, 19, of Hamilton Township was arrested on Tuesday and was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, first-degree manufacturing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), third-degree possession of CSAM and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Parkman pending trial, Hilton said.
Earlier this month, detectives with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and the New Jersey State Police ICAC Task Force received information from law enforcement in Missouri that a minor in their jurisdiction had been chatting and exchanging child sexual abuse material at the direction of Parkman, Hilton said.
An investigation was initiated and detectives discovered that, in addition to exchanging sexually-explicit messages and photos with the pre-teen girl, Parkman was directing her to take photos and videos of herself engaging in sexual conduct to send to him, Hilton said.
Last week, members of the prosecutor’s ICAC Unit, with assistance from the Hamilton Police SWAT Team, executed a search warrant at Parkman’s Hamilton residence, where detectives seized multiple items of evidentiary value. Parkman was taken into custody without incident, Hilton said.
During the course of the investigation, authorities learned that during the past year Parkman has been employed as a costumed character and mascot by companies including Six Flags Great Adventure, Somerset Baseball Partners, Devils Arena Entertainment, and most recently, Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa, Hilton said.
First-degree crimes carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
Hilton urged anyone with information about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children to please contact the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit at 609-989-6568 or the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tip line at 1-888-648-6007.
