Ex-Owl City member accused of sexual contact with girl

Daniel P. Jorgensen, a former musician with the band Owl City, has been indicted in Atlantic County on charges that he tried to lure a 14-year-old to his hotel room and engaged in criminal sexual contact with the girl on the Atlantic City beach while on tour with the band two years ago, Prosecutor James P. McClain said Wednesday.

Jorgensen, 30, of Minneapolis, faces penalties of up to 10 years in prison on the child-luring charge and up to 18 months in prison on the fourth-degree sexual-contact charge. Superior Court Judge Bernard E. Delury set bail at $100,000, the prosecutor said. The indictment was handed up Tuesday.

Jorgensen was a touring member of Owl City at the time of the alleged incident. He was terminated in December 2013 after allegations of misconduct began to surface, according to a website statement from the band. Owl City is most known for the song "Fireflies."

The charges allege that Jorgensen made contact with the young fan on the Internet and by cellphone, and, the prosecutor said, "encouraged her to come to Atlantic City, where he was working as a musician and band manager on Aug. 29, 2013."

The prosecutor alleged that Jorgensen "committed the criminal sexual contact on an Atlantic City beach, and tried to lure the girl to a hotel room and to the band's tour bus with the purpose of having sexual intercourse."

Jorgensen, often featured in Instagram photos with young female fans, has been the target of allegations by fans in other cities.

One fan posted in late 2013 about extended contact and flirtations with Jorgensen that culminated in an incident in Atlantic City. In the post, the fan warned others to "stay away from him," and detailed her trauma from the extended encounter. She wrote that she ultimately realized this was a "legal situation" considered "sexual misconduct with a minor."

Authorities did not say if this was the instance that led to the indictment.

The girl's post from 2013 is listed under "Important Information about Owl City's Daniel Jorgensen," and includes a photo with a skinny girl with braces and the obviously older Jorgensen, wearing a knit cap, his arm around her on the beach in Atlantic City.

The statement from Atlantic County prosecutors identifies Jorgensen as a band manager, but Owl City's manager then and currently, Steve Bursky, put out a statement in December 2013 saying, "As of this weekend, we have terminated Daniel Jorgensen's employment and all involvement as a touring member of Owl City. Please understand that this business decision does not implicate Daniel in the judicial system, but was both necessary and appropriate given the allegations that have surfaced over the last handful of days."

Jorgensen's website credits him as "music director" for Owl City. He has also released albums under the name of Carinthia.

Authorities did not release the alleged victim's name.

Attempts to get comment from Owl City and its publicist and from Jorgensen were unsuccessful.