Centre County journalist arrested again, accused of soliciting sex with teenage girl
A Centre County journalist was arrested Friday for the second time in nearly as many weeks, accused of soliciting sex with a teenage girl he met through coaching a youth soccer team more than a decade ago.
Christopher Z. Morelli, 54, of Spring Township, was accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a 14-year-old girl on the team in fall 2011. Morelli would have been 42, township police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
“u prolly think im perverted huh,” Morelli wrote to the girl through Facebook’s Messenger, police wrote. After the girl confirmed her age, Morelli responded “so young,” police wrote.
The woman came forward with the allegations, police wrote, after his December arrest for sending sexually explicit messages to and attempting to meet with an undercover FBI agent he believed was an underage girl was made public. At the time of his arrest, Morelli worked as the managing editor of the Centre County Gazette.
The woman told the township police Detective Luke Nelson the messages from Morelli began in 2011 after she and her friend swam at his house. He provided the underage girls with alcohol, police wrote.
The charging document detailed Morelli’s wish for her to return to his house alone and other sexually explicit comments, including what his intentions were. The child stopped responding after his messages became “even more inappropriate,” police wrote.
In a statement, Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna urged anyone with information about Morelli to contact Nelson at 814-355-5134.
Morelli was charged Friday with one felony count each of solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors. He was arraigned by District Judge Gregory Koehle, who denied bail citing “community safety.” He’s incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
Defense lawyer James E. Depasquale declined comment Friday morning on Morelli’s latest arrest, saying he neither had time to review the allegations nor speak with him. The accusations, he said, could be “totally defensible.”
He struck a different tone when discussing Morelli’s arrest in December. Those allegations make it a “really difficult case to win,” Despasquale said. He hopes to strike a plea agreement with Centre County prosecutors.
Morelli communicated as early as July with the undercover agent through private messages on a social media application and text messages. He’s accused of repeatedly attempting to engage in sexual activity with someone he thought to be a child.
In one comment, police wrote, Morelli expressed a preference for younger women. The communications continued through December. He was charged with one felony count each of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a communication facility.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Wednesday and Jan. 17. It’s not yet known if the hearings will be consolidated.
After Morelli’s December arrest, he was placed on indefinite suspension at the Centre County Gazette, General Manager Tiara Snare wrote in a statement last month. He was named to the position in June.
The weekly newspaper advertised Thursday a hiring ad for the position. Morelli previously worked as a reporter or editor at publications across Pennsylvania, including at the CDT in the late 1990s.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 12:31 PM.