Allentown man arrested for raping 2 young girls, police say – NBC10 Philadelphia

Warning: This story contains graphic details of alleged sexual abuse and may be disturbing to some readers.

An Allentown, Pennsylvania, man has been arrested and charged following an investigation into child rape, human trafficking and sexual abuse, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office said.

Joshua Mickey Martel, 31, has been charged with multiple sex crimes after assaulting two young girls, officials said.

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According to officials, a 12-year-old girl reported to a guardian on July 31 that her mother had sold her to Martel for money and drugs.

According to officials, the girl told detectives that sometime between April 23 and 24, her mother took her and her siblings to a hotel on the 1000 block of Airport Road in Allentown, where they shared a room with Martel.

The girl told investigators she witnessed her mother taking drugs and crash drugs from Martel before leaving her alone in the hotel room with him, officials said. Martel sexually and physically abused the girl. She tried to get away, but Martel wouldn’t let her.

In the second case, officials said a school counselor received information that the 13-year-old girl may have been in the area.
the same Airport Road hotel as Martel.

Police said in this case, the 13-year-old was picked up by Uber after school on May 21 and didn’t show up for school the next day. Officers found her in Martel’s hotel room, and she alleged he had sexually assaulted her.

Resources for victims of sexual violence are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

In the first case, involving the 12-year-old girl, Martel was charged with rape of a child, rape by force, sexual battery, human trafficking and assaulting a victim of sexual slavery, all first-degree felonies; sexual battery as a second-degree felony; corruption of minors, a third-degree felony; sexual assault without consent and simple assault, both second-degree felonies, according to authorities.

In the second case, involving the 13-year-old girl, officials said Martel is charged with sexual battery, unlawful contact with a minor, both first-degree felonies, and corruption of minors and child sexual abuse – possession of child pornography, both third-degree felonies.

Officials said Martel was taken into custody on Wednesday, arraigned and his bail was set at $500,000 on both counts. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10.

Officials also note that the mother of the 12-year-old victim has also been charged with felony counts of rape of a child, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, and a misdemeanor count of simple assault. She is being held in the Lehigh County Jail under a $350,000 bond.