Daniel Nixon, 25, of Hatfield, has been charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy in Upper Gwynedd Township.
A fifth man has been arrested on charges stemming from a year-long police investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy in Upper Gwynedd Township.
Court records show 25-year-old Daniel Nixon, of Hatfield, was arrested on July 28 and arraigned on felony counts of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, corruption of minors, child pornography, and soliciting child pornography, stemming from the investigation.
According to the criminal complaint, Nixon and the boy began communicating on the Grindr app — and later Discord — in August 2023. Police allege the communications were sexual in nature, including Nixon soliciting nude photos of the boy, and they agreed to meet in-person the following day.
Nixon allegedly picked up the boy in his father’s vehicle, and after riding around the neighborhood for a short period, he sexually assaulted the boy inside the vehicle, police said. Nixon then said he had to get home to his father, dropped the boy off, blocked him on Discord and never spoke to him again, according to charging documents.
Police said they traced the digital communications and IP addresses to accounts belonging to Nixon and his home along the unit block of Park Avenue in Hatfield Township. The victim also positively identified Nixon out of a photo lineup as part of the investigation, the affidavit states.
Nixon has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 15 at noon in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard. He is currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $105,000 cash bail.
The initial investigation
As originally reported by North Penn Now in April, the investigation began on Sept. 7, 2023 when a 12-year-old boy was reported missing to Upper Gwynedd Police. Officials said a review of the boy’s iPad showed he had been involved in sexual communications with 24-year-old Nicholas Benotto, of Doylestown, and the two had agreed to meet at the time the boy was last seen.
While driving with the boy, Benotto was contacted by a family member who informed him that police wanted to speak with him regarding the boy’s whereabouts, investigators said. Benotto then drove to the William Penn Inn, where police took custody of the boy and conducted a preliminary investigation with Benotto, according to the criminal complaint.
Benotto told investigators that he met the boy on the Grindr dating app the previous day, with the boy claiming to be 18 years old, police said. Benotto added he and the boy engaged in sexual communications, sent each other explicit photos, and then agreed to meet, according to charging documents.
Throughout his interviews with police, Benotto maintained he didn’t know the boy was 12 years old, and messages sent by Benotto to the boy included “Can you prove your age,” “How old are you,” and “School id, or something,” according to charging documents. Benotto also claimed the boy said he had lost his wallet and driver’s license, so he was unable to verify his age, police said.
Benotto was charged with felony counts of attempted statutory sexual assault, possession of child pornography, solicitation of child pornography, and corruption of minors. He’s currently free on $100,000 cash bail while awaiting his preliminary hearing on Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge Suzan Leonard.
Additional suspects identified as investigation continued
As the investigation unfolded, police said they conducted a forensic download of the boy’s phone and iPad, which allegedly showed additional sexual communications with other men, including 24-year-old Joseph Slover, of Towamencin, 21-year-old Tristan Anderson, of Upper Providence, and 31-year-old Brock Tharp, of Bally.
Slover, Anderson, and Tharp were all arrested in the spring as part of the investigation. You can read more on the allegations against those three defendants here, and our coverage of Slover's recent guilty plea to statutory sexual assault here.
More arrests could follow
In a previous interview with North Penn Now, police said the investigation was ongoing, as additional communications were recovered from the boy’s phone and investigators were working to identify the other men involved. During a follow up exchange on Wednesday afternoon, Sgt. Robert Pro, who is serving as the lead investigator, confirmed the investigation remains active and charges may be filed against one additional suspect.
Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy described the investigation as “unusual” when asked about multiple arrests from separate incidents involving the same victim, but added he has encountered similar circumstances over the course of his career.
“The investigation has been complex and time consuming, but that is always a necessity when victims are juveniles,” said Duffy. “Sgt. Pro has done an excellent job with this case as it has grown to several suspects and arrests.”
If you or someone you know is being sexually abused, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or visit online.rainn.org. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline is also available here.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
