Montco man held as online predator

A Montgomery County resident was one of five men arrested recently on allegations they were online predators, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced yesterday.

Authorities said all five had thought they were communicating online with young girls - actually law enforcement agents - and sent graphic images or webcam videos.

Brian Heslop, 41, of the 600 block of Appaloosa Road in Schwenksville, is accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter Monday with someone he thought was 13. Arriving at an agreed-upon location that afternoon, Heslop was arrested.

He was charged with several types of felonious contact with a minor, and criminal use of a computer. He was held in Montgomery County prison after failing to post $250,000 cash bail.

Walter Morse Dewitt, 45, of the 100 block of Forge Road in Delran, was arrested Feb. 25 in New Jersey, accused of sexually explicit communications. After waiving extradition, he was preliminarily arraigned in Harrisburg, and charged with five counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies. He was released on $75,000 bail.

The three others accused of sending sexually explicit webcam videos are Donald E. Jacobson, 44, of Dubois, Clearfield County; Shane Allen Washburn, 27, of Johnsonburg, Elk County; and Dennis Leigh Bastian, 51, of Milton, Northumberland County.