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Man Faces 30 Years In Prison For Sex With Minor

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A 52-year-old West Virginia man has been convicted of repeatedly crossing state lines to have sex with a 14-year-old Ohio girl he met online.

Charleston resident Mark Loring Dawson was convicted Monday in federal court in Wheeling.

Prosecutors say Dawson took the girl from Sardis, Ohio, to a New Martinsville hotel for sex on multiple occasions last year and this year. They say Dawson initially lied about his own age while chatting with her on a social media site.

U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld says Facebook and other social media sites make it easier for predators to find and groom potential victims. This is just the latest case of an older man misrepresenting his identity to get a young girl's attention.

Dawson faces up to 30 years in prison.