Tristan Anderson, 21, of Upper Providence. (Credit: Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department)
Tristan Anderson, of Upper Providence, is set for an April 22 pre-trial hearing
And then there was one.
Tristan James Anderson, 22, of Upper Providence Township, is the fifth and final defendant in the case involving the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy in Upper Gwynedd Township, following Friday morning's guilty plea from defendant Nicholas Benotto, 24, of Doylestown.
Anderson is facing prosecution on seven felonies: Rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and criminal use of a communication facility.
He is free on $100,000 cash bail, according to Montgomery County court records.
The investigation began on Sept. 7, 2023 when a 12-year-old boy was reported missing to Upper Gwynedd Police.
Officials said a review of the boy’s iPad showed he had been involved in sexual communications with 24-year-old Nicholas Benotto, of Doylestown, and the two had agreed to meet at the time the boy was last seen.
While driving with the boy, Benotto was contacted by a family member who informed him that police wanted to speak with him regarding the boy’s whereabouts, investigators said. Benotto then drove to the William Penn Inn, where police took custody of the boy and conducted a preliminary investigation with Benotto, according to the criminal complaint.
Benotto told investigators that he met the boy on the Grindr dating app the previous day, with the boy claiming to be 18 years old, police said. Benotto added he and the boy engaged in sexual communications, sent each other explicit photos, and then agreed to meet, according to charging documents.
Throughout his interviews with police, Benotto maintained he didn’t know the boy was 12 years old, and messages sent by Benotto to the boy included “Can you prove your age,” “How old are you,” and “School id, or something,” according to charging documents. Benotto also claimed the boy said he had lost his wallet and driver’s license, so he was unable to verify his age, police said.
Additional suspects identified
As the investigation unfolded, police said they conducted a forensic download of the boy’s phone and iPad, which allegedly showed additional sexual communications with four other men, including Anderson, 24-year-old Joseph Slover, of Towamencin, 31-year-old Brock Tharp, of Bally, and Daniel Nixon, 25, of Hatfield Township.
Investigation into Slover
Police allege Slover and the boy began engaging in text-based sexual conversations before arranging to meet on the afternoon of Aug. 28, 2023. Once the boy said his mother had left his home, he rode his bike to a parking lot where he was picked up by Slover and taken to Slover’s apartment, according to the criminal complaint.
The boy told police he engaged in sex with Slover on his bed, adding that Slover repeatedly referred to him as “kid” during their interactions, the report states. Afterwards, Slover took the boy back to his neighborhood and ceased all communication, with the boy believing Slover had blocked his phone number, police said.
In an interview with Mission Kids, the boy stated that Slover was wearing North Penn Football shorts at the time they met, and he also described a stuffed animal on the dashboard of Slover’s car which police later confirmed to be accurate, according to charging documents. Investigators also said cellular data confirmed Slover was allegedly in both the pickup location and at his home at the times provided by the boy.
Slover was sentenced to state prison in November.
Investigation into Tharp
Investigators learned that the boy had engaged in sexual communications with Tharp, and the two arranged to meet on Aug. 29, 2023. In a forensic interview with Mission Kids, the boy stated Tharp had picked him up and drove to a different location, where they had sex in Tharp’s vehicle, the report states. The following day, the boy contacted Tharp to retrieve a personal item left in the vehicle, as well as to arrange another meeting, however the second meeting never took place and Tharp stopped responding to the boy’s messages for a period, police said.
Communication resumed in January after investigators reached out to Tharp using an undercover phone number and posing as the boy, court records show. At that point, sexual communication resumed, and Tharp allegedly discussed the first meeting while requesting some photos of the boy, according to charging documents.
Tharp was sentenced to state prison last month.
Investigation into Anderson
Police said their investigation also revealed the boy was communicating with Anderson on Discord, which included sexual conversations and arranging plans to meet. Messages between Anderson and the boy revealed the two met on the evening of Aug. 21, 2023 and messages after the alleged meeting referenced sexual activities that had occurred, according to the criminal complaint against Anderson.
In a forensic interview with Mission Kids, the boy disclosed that Anderson was his boyfriend and the two had met twice to have sex in Anderson’s vehicle, the report states. Additional conversations between the boy and Anderson referenced making pillow forts and building LEGOs, indicating Anderson was aware the boy was a minor, according to police.
Cellular tracking allegedly placed Anderson at the locations and times the boy referenced, and the boy’s description of Anderson’s vehicle was later corroborated by police, officials said.
Investigation into Nixon
Nixon was arrested in July 2024 and arraigned on felony counts of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age, corruption of minors, child pornography, and soliciting child pornography, stemming from the investigation.
Nixon awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to statutory sexual assault last month.
According to the criminal complaint, Nixon and the boy began communicating on the Grindr app — and later Discord — in August 2023. Police allege the communications were sexual in nature, including Nixon soliciting nude photos of the boy, and they agreed to meet in-person the following day.
Nixon allegedly picked up the boy in his father’s vehicle, and after riding around the neighborhood for a short period, he sexually assaulted the boy inside the vehicle. Nixon then said he had to get home to his father, dropped the boy off, blocked him on Discord and never spoke to him again, according to charging documents.
Police said they traced the digital communications and IP addresses to accounts belonging to Nixon and his home along the unit block of Park Avenue in Hatfield Township. The victim also positively identified Nixon out of a photo lineup as part of the investigation, the affidavit states.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
