Four local men arrested in child predator sweep

The Attorney General’s office has arrested four local men after an investigation into child predator activity in Southeast Pennsylvania.

According to the office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro, “in recent days” four local men: Christopher Cook, 36, of Linden Avenue in York; William Novitski, 28, of Hampton Road in King of Prussia; Apithai Pikrohkit, 30, of Brandywine Lane in King of Prussia and, Nafiz Tahmid, 27, of N. Park Avenue, Philadelphia, were arrested and they have all been charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

“These four defendants were seeking sex from children they met online,” Attorney General Shapiro said in a statement. “Thanks to the relentless efforts of agents in our Child Predator Section, in collaboration with local and federal law enforcement, these predators have been arrested and taken off our streets. The Office of Attorney General has a zero tolerance policy for the sexual abuse of children.”

According to law enforcement officials, the four were arrested following separate incidents in recent days in which each of the men had, allegedly, solicited sex from an undercover agent while the agent posed online as a 13 or 14-year-old minor online.

Each of the defendants was arrested after they came to a meeting location in Southeast Pennsylvania known only to the agents and perpetrators, police said.

Bail for Cook, Pikrohkit and Tahmid was set at $75,000, and they are each set for preliminary hearings on Friday, August 25. While, bail for Novitski was set at $125,000 and his preliminary hearing is set to be held on Sept 1.

The arrests came as a result of a joint investigation, that Shapiro said, helped to make local “communities safer.”

“Tredyffrin Township Police and Homeland Security Investigations were very helpful in these cases. Law enforcement cooperation makes our communities safer.”