Source: KHTS Hometown Station
Date: 02/23/2026 10:56am

Article Summary:
Pennsylvania Man Arrested in Castaic for Allegedly Grooming 13-Year-Old and Promoting Self-Harm Linked to Extremist Ideology
An 18-year-old Pennsylvania man, Matthew Edward Pysher, was arrested in Castaic and federally charged after allegedly grooming a 13-year-old girl online, coercing her into sending sexually explicit images and engaging in self-harm before traveling to California to meet her. Authorities say he took the girl to a motel, where she was rescued by law enforcement, and investigators are examining possible ties to nihilistic violent extremist ideology. Pysher faces a federal charge of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and is presumed innocent pending court proceedings.

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