SOLEBURY, Pa. — Princeton's animal control officer was arrested Monday on charges he had sex with a minor in a Bucks County park after meeting the boy on Snapchat.

Saul Nate Barson, 29, was arrested by Solebury Police on Monday for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old boy at Pat Livezey Park on Feb. 3. The Lambertville resident was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility. He is being held at the Bucks County Jail in Doylestown pending $300,000 bail.

Barson was suspended without pay in Princeton, according to Princeton Administrator Marc Dashield.

Nate Berson
Nate Barson (Solebury, Pa Police)
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Barson also runs a company called Animal Control & Investigative Services that provided animal control for Alexandria, Bethlehem, Bloomsbury, Town of Clinton, East Amwell, Flemington Borough, Franklin Township, Frenchtown, Hampton, High Bridge, Holland Township, Lambertville, Milford, Raritan Township and West Amwell in Hunterdon County.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the boy — identified only as "AB" — met Barson via a Snapchat and agreed to meet him in the park. The boy said he got into Barson's silver pickup, and Barson told AB his name was Jake, according to the affidavit.

It alleges each pulled down his own pants, and Barson then performed oral sex on the boy.

AB's mother looked up the New Jersey license plate on the truck and was able to discover the pickup was registered to Barson's company, according to the affidavit. It did not explain how she knew the plate number.

The Bucks County Courier Times reported Barson was a onetime member of the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad.

Solebury Police Chief Dominick P. Bellizzie said it was the second sexual assault involving children in the same park, which is located off Route 202 just over the bridge from New Jersey.

"We urge families to learn more about sexual exploitation of children via the use of the internet. The increase of this type of exploitation takes place on the dark side of the Internet, via websites, social media applications, message boards, e-mail, file sharing and in real time with web cams, smart phone cameras and streaming videos. Parents may not be fully aware that this occurs. The Internet can bring the potential of having criminal predators “to your home," Bellizzie said in a statement.

New Jersey 101.5 recently explored how parents can keep their children safe on the internet — and some of the surprising dangers inherent to even the most benign-seeming games and apps.

Anyone who may have had contact with Barson the day of the alleged assault contact Solebury Township Police at 215-348-7400.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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