BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Monday to engaging in sexual activity with a teenage boy and paying the victim with vaping pods and candy, according to the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz.
George Batchelder, 52, of Holbrook pleaded guilty to child rape, human trafficking and child enticement just before his trial was scheduled to start in Superior Court, and was sentenced to five years in prison, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
The judge imposed a sentence agreed upon by both parties.
The defendant and victim met via a chat room and social media, according to prior media reports. The defendant paid the victim with Juul pods and Swedish Fish candy, according to the district attorney’s office.
Authorities started investigating in October 2018 when a relative of the victim found explicit pictures on the victim’s cellphone and turned the device over Scituate police, the district attorney’s office said.
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