Trial Date Set For Man, 45, Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teens He Met On The Internet

INDIO (CBS) —  A Sept. 5 trial date was set Friday for a Cathedral City man accused of sexually assaulting four girls, one of whom he allegedly lured to his apartment by posing as a teenage boy on social networking websites.

Jeffrey Thomas Sackman, 45, is charged with 38 felonies and two misdemeanors, including unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and sexual penetration with a foreign object, according to Deputy District Attorney Brijida Rodarte.

All of the alleged victims were teenagers.

One of the youths lived with Sackman for about 2 1/2 years, starting when she was 16, Cathedral City police Lt. Charles Robinson said.

Some of the charges against Sackman involve a 15-year-old Buena Park girl. Officials say he allegedly provided that girl with drugs after luring her to his apartment last September by posing as a teenage boy on social networking websites.

Robinson said the girl's mother called police to say her daughter, who had been reported as a runaway, might be at an apartment building in Cathedral City. Officers went to an address in the 28200 block of Landau Boulevard and discovered the girl in the defendant's apartment, Robinson said.

He said the girl told police she originally met Sackman on a social networking website about two years ago. She had since communicated with Sackman, who allegedly posed as a 17-year-old boy, through several sites, including Facebook, MySpace and mbuzzy, the lieutenant said.

Sackman, who was arrested Sept. 23, reportedly admitted to some of the allegations when investigators questioned him, Robinson said.

Sackman was being held at the county jail in Indio in lieu of $1 million bail.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)