A man from Newport News, Virginia has been arrested and charged after renting a hotel room in Abbotsford and staying overnight there with a 13-year-old girl.
Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald said the teen and the man first met over social media in July of this year.
He said the two exchanged numerous texts and began a “very concerning but distant relationship.”
MacDonald said the man suggested that the pair meet in person and, on Sept. 5, he travelled to Seattle and then to Abbotsford, where he rented a hotel room.
MacDonald said the girl met up with the man, and the two stayed overnight in the hotel.
The teen left the next morning and contacted her guardian, who then notified the Abbotsford Police Department (APD) about what had occurred.
Officers arrested the man outside the hotel on Sunday, Sept. 6.
Joshua Michael Napoli, 33, has been charged with sexual assault against a child, child luring and sexual interference.
MacDonald said the incident serves as a reminder for all parents to be aware of their children’s online activities and to be familiar with their kids’ friends and whereabouts at all times.
The APD’s major crime unit is continuing to investigate.
Napoli has been remanded in custody, and it has not yet been determined if and when he will be returned to the U.S.