Derry Township man convicted of soliciting 'minor' for sex in undercover operation

A Derry Township man has been found guilty of soliciting a minor for sex, where the underage “girl” actually was an agent with the Attorney General’s Office.

Mark A. Garris, 47, recently was found guilty by a Butler County jury of felony charges of unlawful contact with a minor, attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age and criminal use of a communication facility.

According to court documents, authorities said Garris on Oct. 22, 2021 sent a private message through a social networking application to the undercover agent, who had established an online profile posing as a 15-year-old girl from Butler County.

The agent engaged in electronic communications with Garris over a two-week period, at least twice informing him that the purported child he was conversing with was 15, according to court papers.

Garris asked if the “girl” was “into older guys” and if “she would like to hang out sometime,” authorities said.

He indicated he wanted to take the purported minor out for dinner and perform a sex act on her and made arrangements to meet her at a selected location on the evening of the following Nov. 4, according to court documents.

Agents performed a traffic stop when he drove up to the arranged site — where he told the agents he had come to meet a friend, whom he identified using the name of the fictitious undercover persona, authorities said.

Garris was taken into custody and admitted to the communications with the purported girl, according to court papers.

Authorities said he agreed to a search of his cell phone, which appeared to contain the related message thread with the undercover agent within a social media application.

Garris remains free on $10,000 unsecured bond, awaiting sentencing.

He is being represented by Butler attorney Alexander H. Lindsay Jr., who did not return calls seeking comment.