Nathan Holycross of North Lewisburg pleaded guilty to soliciting a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Photo via WTRF/Wheeling W. Va.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE – A North Lewisburg man has pleaded guilty to traveling to Belmont County with the intent to solicit a 14-year-old girl for sex.
According to information published by news outlet WTRF of Wheeling, West Virginia, Nathan Holycross was scheduled to stand trial for soliciting a 14-year-old for sex, when he suddenly entered guilty pleas Tuesday to all four charges facing him.
The crime occurred in September of 2022, according to The Times Leader news outlet.
Holycross, 45, admitted guilt to one count of importuning and three counts of use of criminal tools, regarding items he had in his car, according to WTRF. The four charges are fifth degree felonies.
Holycross traveled to Belmont County expecting to meet a teen, but was met instead by undercover police officers who had posed online as the girl.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 16. Prosecutors said they would request a prison sentence for Holycross and want him designated a Tier 1 sex offender, according to The Times Leader.
Holycross is the owner of a landscaping business in North Lewisburg and also ran unsuccessfully for village mayor in 2011.
