A Schuylkill County woman is facing felony charges after police allege she encouraged an 11-year-old boy to have sex with a 15-year-old girl and provided the pair with condoms.
Marlena Cartwright, 34, of New Philadelphia, has been charged with felony solicitation of rape of a child and corruption of minors and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a minor.
The charges stem from police interviews conducted at City Hall in Pottsville on Nov. 19, where investigators allege Cartwright admitted to telling the juveniles to “hurry up and get it over with” regarding sexual intercourse.
According to an affidavit filed in District Court in Pottsville, police received a complaint from a woman who brought a juvenile to the station to report that he had been coerced into sexual intercourse when he was 11 years old.
The juvenile told police he began dating a female subject in 2023, when he was 11 and she was 15. He described a specific incident that occurred in approximately February 2024 at a residence in Pottsville.
Police say that the boy, the female subject, Cartwright, and a friend were in the kitchen. The boy told police the female subject was pressuring him to have sex, and he had declined several times.
The boy told investigators that the female’s advances began to annoy Cartwright, who allegedly said to the boy, “Just go have sex with her already.”
Feeling pressured, the boy told police he went upstairs to his bedroom with the female and engaged in sexual intercourse. He further alleged that following this incident, he and the female had sex “a lot” and that Cartwright was aware of the activity and provided them with condoms, according to the complaint.
Cartwright arrived at City Hall for an interview at approximately 10:30 p.m. that same night. After waiving her Miranda rights, police say, she spoke with investigators regarding the allegations.
When asked about the night in the kitchen, Cartwright reportedly admitted to police that she told the pair to “hurry up and get it over with before she changes her mind.” Cartwright told police she made the statement as a joke.
Police said Cartwright admitted she knew the pair went upstairs alone but was unsure if they actually had intercourse. When asked how old the boy was at the time of the incident in early 2024, Cartwright replied “11,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators asked Cartwright why she allowed the boy to engage in sexual activity. The affidavit states Cartwright replied that she “knew he was going to do it anyway” and wanted him to be open about it so she could provide protection. She reportedly admitted to having her fiancé purchase a “42 pack of condoms from Walmart” to be split between the boy and another individual.
Police also interviewed the female subject involved. While she initially denied sexual contact, she later admitted that in late winter or early spring of 2024, she and the boy engaged in sex acts. She denied having intercourse with the boy. Police noted that when confronted with text messages where the female allegedly wrote, “You only wanted to be with me for sex,” she requested a lawyer and terminated the interview.
Toward the end of Cartwright’s interview, police asked her about her relationship with a man identified as “Joker” who was also allegedly present when the initial statement was made. She stated they were friends and that a sexual relationship would have been inappropriate when they were younger because he was approximately six years older than she was.
When an officer asked Cartwright why she felt it was appropriate to encourage the boy to have sex with someone significantly older than him when she felt a similar age gap was inappropriate for herself, Cartwright reiterated that she “was just kidding” when she made the comment, and stated she would do anything for the children in her care.
Cartwright then ended the interview. Police subsequently filed the charges based on her statements and the investigation. She has not been arraigned on those charges, according to court records.
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