Tattoo-for-Sex Suspect Molested 14 Kids: DA

The Bucks County man already charged with trading a tattoo for sex with an underage girl and sexually assaulting more than a dozen children is now facing more sexual assault charges.

Thirty-five-year-old Walter Meyerle was arraigned Wednesday on charges of involuntary sexual intercourse with a person under age 16, a first-degree felony,and charges related to the alleged sexual assaults of a 12-year-old girl starting in 2000.

In March 2010, Meyerle, a tattoo artist, was arrested for allegedly having sex with the teen girl multiple times, sometimes while his wife was downstairs, and promising the girl a tattoo in her pelvic area in exchange.

After the initial accusation, investigators suspected at the time of Meyerle's arrest that there may be other young victims. They asked parents and kids to please come forward and they did. Meyerle was charged last year with sexual assaults on 14 children and 2 adults over a 13-year span.

Defense attorney Kevin Wray tells The Associated Press he has questions about statements made to police and believes investigators failed to attempt to gather necessary physical evidence. Wray says his client steadfastly denies wrongdoing.
 
Meyerle told NBC10 Philadelphia last year, "We'll see who's guilty. . .There are a lot of serious charges and it's pretty serious but there's nothing to back it up.”

The Bucks County Courier Times reports prosecutors have asked the court to combine Meyerle's sex cases with an alleged prison break attempt.

“This is one of the largest child abuse cases I've seen by one individual,” said Jennifer Schorn, chief of the major crimes division for the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.