Mom ‘sold’ 12-year-old daughter to accused rapist for cash, drugs, PA officials say
A Pennsylvania man is accused of sexually assaulting two girls at a hotel, one of whom was ”sold” by her mother in exchange for cash and drugs, officials said.
Joshua Mickey Martel, 31, of Allentown is charged with rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, trafficking, patronizing a victim of sexual servitude, and other related charges, according to a Sept. 4 news release from Lehigh District Attorney Gavin Holihan and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca.
McClatchy News reached out to the public defender’s office Sept. 5 for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
The arrest stems from an investigation beginning July 31 when a 12-year-old girl told a guardian that her mother “sold” her to Martel, officials said.
The child told investigators that between April 23 and 24, her mother brought her and her siblings to a hotel in Allentown, where they “split a room with Martel,” authorities said.
The girl said Martel gave her mother cash and drugs and then she was left alone in the room with him, officials said.
The child was sexually and physically assaulted, and when she tried to get away, “Martel would not allow her,” authorities said.
Officers found a second victim – a 13-year-old girl – at the same hotel with Martel a little more than a month later, officials said.
Police said the girl was picked up from school in an Uber on May 21, and wasn’t in school the next day. The victim said Martel sexually assaulted her, authorities said.
Martel is being held at Lehigh County Jail on $500,000 bail, court records show.
He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing Sept. 10.
This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Mom ‘sold’ 12-year-old daughter to accused rapist for cash, drugs, PA officials say."
