The Shocking Arrest of a Costume Character at Amusement Parks for Online Child Exploitation
Breaking news out of New Jersey as Don-Diego Parkman, a 19-year-old costume character employee at various amusement parks and venues, has been arrested for online child exploitation. This alarming revelation was made by Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa Hilton on Tuesday.
Parkman, who hails from Hamilton, was found to be engaging in sexually explicit messages and photos with a minor. What makes this case even more disturbing is the fact that Parkman works as a costume character and mascot at popular local venues such as Somerset Baseball Partners, Devils Arena Entertainment, and most recently, Sesame Place in Langhorne.
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Authorities were alerted to Parkman’s activities by Missouri police who discovered a minor in their district communicating with him. Further investigations revealed that Parkman had allegedly been coercing the minor into taking sexually explicit photos and videos of herself.
A SWAT team raided Parkman’s Hamilton residence last week, confiscating “multiple items of evidentiary value” and placing Parkman under arrest. He now faces charges of aggravated sexual assault, manufacturing child sexual abuse material, possession of child sex material, and endangerment. Prosecutors have requested that he be detained pending trial.
Sesame Place and Devils Arena Entertainment have confirmed that Parkman is no longer employed at their establishments. Additionally, it was discovered that Parkman had been hired by Six Flags Great Adventure, but he never actually began working there despite passing a background check.
If you have any information related to this case, please contact the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at 609-989-6568 or the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tip line at 888-648-6007.