A Schuylkill County man is wanted after State Police say he exchanged nude photos with a 16-year-old girl he met through Facebook.
Joshua Honey, 30, of Tamaqua, is charged with one count of unlawful contact with a minor and five counts of sexual abuse of children for possessing child sexual abuse material. All six counts are third-degree felonies.
The Criminal Investigation Unit at State Police-Frackville received a child welfare report in March 2025 about suspected unlawful contact with a minor that occurred in 2024, police say. The report alleged the girl, who was 16 at the time, was involved in an inappropriate online relationship with Honey in which naked images were exchanged.
The case was first reported to Coaldale police in June 2024 after it was discovered he had been messaging a female in a sexual manner, according to State Police. Coaldale officers interviewed Honey later that month, when he was living on 3rd Street in the borough, and he consented to a search of his cellphone, police say.
Coaldale police sent the phone out for a forensic download and investigated the case until the department disbanded in December 2024, according to State Police. The phone was turned over to State Police-Frackville in June 2025 and the investigation resumed.
Investigators say the download showed Honey exchanging messages with the girl beginning in January 2024, and that he denied to a friend that he knew her. Police say they found multiple nude and partially nude images of the girl on his phone dated between January and June of that year.
The girl told police she had known Honey for years as a Facebook friend, but that they did not really know each other until January 2024, when she messaged him because she was lonely. She said she was looking for friendship, but that Honey quickly turned the conversation to sex and began asking her for nude photos.
She told police Honey asked her about her age and that he appeared to understand she was a minor. She said Honey wanted their relationship to be “hush hush,” but that “he’ll be waiting” until she turned 18, police say.
The girl said Honey offered to buy her lingerie and proposed meeting in person, which she declined because she suspected he would push sex on her. She told police she was not interested in sex with Honey but kept messaging him because she was afraid he would not talk to her otherwise and she did not want to be alone. She said she felt Honey took advantage of her and that the only value she had to him was her body.
Police say they confirmed Honey was the person in the conversations in part through a distinctive tattoo visible in a photo he sent.
More From Coal Region Canary
See all stories ›
Flood Watch Issued for Schuylkill County on Thursday
4 hours ago
Nabholz Has Allowed Just 1 Earned Run in 5 Appearances Since Promotion to Eugene
12 hours ago
Schuylkill County Man Used Brother’s Name During Traffic Stop Because He’d Been Sentenced to Jail for Driving on a Suspended License
13 hours ago
Barton Cards Sub-70 Round to Pace Haven; Blue Mountain Sweeps Tri-Match
14 hours ago
PennDOT to Host Winter Job Fair in Schuylkill County
16 hours ago
Wreckers, Raiders Earn Wins in Golf Action Tuesday
20 hours agoSubscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...