A man from McCandless was arrested after a 10-year-old girl told her mother that a neighbor tried to lure her away while they were playing outside.
McCandless police charged Damon M. Bregg, 32, of 8600 block of Wittmer Road with a felony count of luring a child into a motor vehicle, according to court records.
Bregg was released from the Allegheny County Jail after a $500 bond was posted by a family member, which is 10% of the $5,000 bail set at his arraignment, according to court records.
Bregg faces a preliminary hearing on the charge before District Judge William Wagner on March 23.
According to Bregg’s arrest papers, police were dispatched to a home along Wittmer Road on March 13 to investigate a child luring attempt.
The girl’s mother told police that sometime between 6 and 7 p.m. on March 12, her daughter was playing with friends in the road outside Bregg’s home, which is nearby, according to a criminal complaint.
Bregg first offered the girl a lollipop, which she declined, the complaint said.
She also declined Bregg’s request that she come into his house to see his dog, police said.
Investigators said the girl reported what happened to her mother after Bregg asked her to get into his vehicle so he could drive her to a nearby Sheetz “to get dinner,” the complaint said.
Police said they questioned Bregg at his home and he denied offering the girl candy or asking her into his house.
But he admitted to asking the girl to get into his truck so he could take her to the convenience store for a meal, the complaint said.
He told police he offered to take the girl out for dinner because it was “dark and cold and he wanted to be a good neighbor and look out for her,” according to his arrest papers.
Police said they consulted with an Allegheny County assistant district attorney who recommend the felony child luring charge.
Bregg’s lawyer, Alexander H. Lindsay Jr. of Butler, did not respond to requests for comment about the case.
