Lance Jyrkinen, 18, had a bail hearing Tuesday during which Superior Court Judge Timothy Lydon reduced his bail from $250,000 to $200,000.
TRENTON - An Kentucky man who met a Mercer County 13-year-old girl online and traveled with her to Philadelphia earlier this month has been charged with having sex with her on multiple occasions, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Lance Jyrkinen, 18, was charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old. Lance Jyrkinen, 18, of Owensboro, Kentucky, has been charged with sexual assault for at least three separate incidents during the end of February and beginning of March, prosecutors said during a bail hearing Tuesday.
The 13-year-old Hamilton girl met Jyrkinen on social media in the months before the incident and the two began talking regularly, authorities said. Jyrkinen is homeless and has no other connections in New Jersey, Superior Court Judge Timothy Lydon said in court Tuesday.
At the end of February, Jyrkinen traveled from Kentucky to Hamilton where he met the girl and had sex with her, prosecutors said. They then left for Trenton and took a train to Camden and then Philadelphia.
The girl's family reported her missing on Feb. 29 and she was the subject of an extensive search.
From Trenton, the girl and Jyrkinen took the River Line train to Camden and went on to Philadelphia, leaving behind them a long trail of social media activity.
Authorities tracked the social media activity of Jyrkinen and the teen girl for two days before they caught up with them in a Starbucks in Philadelphia, prosecutors said.
During the days that the girl was reported missing, Jyrkinen used her phone to speak with her friends and family via social media apps, prosecutors said. He continued to deny being with the 13-year-old.
Police initially charged Jyrkinen with child endangerment, but later dismissed that count because the girl went with Jyrkinen willingly, prosecutors said.
After both the 13-year-old girl and Jyrkinen admitted to having a sexual relationship, police charged him with sexually assaulting a minor, prosecutors said.
A public defender representing Jyrkinen said Tuesday that Jyrkinen and the 13-year-old girl were dating.
Lydon reduced Jyrkinen's bail from $250,000 to $200,000 during the hearing Tuesday, adding that he believed there was a, "likelihood of conviction" because of the teens' social media trail.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.