RIVERSIDE - Verdicts will be announced today in the trial of an Orange County man accused of using social networking sites to meet young girls and photograph them nude, resulting in one alleged rape.

After deliberating for roughly two days, the panel in the case of Joshua David Threlkeld announced Tuesday afternoon that it had reached conclusions on most or all of the 103 felony and misdemeanor charges against the 34-year- old defendant.

However, because Threlkeld's attorney, John Feiner, whose office is in Irvine, could not reach the downtown Riverside courthouse by 4 p.m., Superior Court Judge Edward Webster ordered the verdicts sealed and set a hearing for this morning, when the findings will be revealed.

Threlkeld, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Riverside jail, faces multiple life sentences if convicted of all counts, which include kidnapping to commit rape, aggravated sexual assault, lewd acts on a child, indecent exposure and possession of child pornography.

The complaint names 50 alleged victims, though prosecutors believe the actual number is in excess of 100.

Court documents allege the defendant targeted girls between 11 and 17 years old, contacting most of them between August 2007 and the winter of 2009.

Threlkeld is accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl, "Sara Miller," to initiate communication with the girls, most of whom he met via MySpace and Facebook, some from as far away as London, England. He allegedly would purport that "Sara" was sometimes paid to pose nude for a photographer named "Josh" at "Model 508 Studios."

After establishing a rapport with the girls, Threlkeld would attempt to talk them into modeling nude for him or sending him nude photographs of themselves, according to a trial brief filed by Deputy District Attorney Melissa Moore.

The prosecutor alleged that some girls turned him down flat, while others expressed an interest, leading to face-to-face encounters between the defendant and his alleged victims. Most of the girls who met him were from Corona, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, Romoland and Winchester, according to the prosecution.

Threlkeld allegedly set up photography sessions at his Orange home, in San Jacinto and in Palm Springs. On some occasions, the defendant would arrange for two girls to meet him, according to the brief.

The defendant would allegedly have the victims disrobe and then interact with one another in sexually suggestive ways while he snapped pictures.

A 13-year-old girl identified in court documents as Vanessa met with Threlkeld in the summer of 2008 for a photo shoot at a Palm Springs hotel, where she alleged the defendant sexually assaulted her and paid her $120 afterward, according to prosecutors.

---

Jurors Reach Verdicts Advertisement

[ Carrington Home Loans ] in Trial of Alleged Internet Predator

RIVERSIDE - Jurors weighing the fate of an Orange County man accused of using social networking sites to meet young girls and photograph them nude, resulting in one alleged rape, reached verdicts today, but the findings remained under seal.

After deliberating for roughly two days, the panel in the case of Joshua David Threlkeld announced this afternoon that it had reached verdicts on most or all of the 103 felony and misdemeanor charges against the 34-year-old defendant.

However, because Threlkeld's Irvine-based attorney, John Feiner, could not reach the downtown Riverside courthouse by 4 p.m., Riverside County Superior Court Judge Edward Webster ordered the verdicts sealed until a hearing set for 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Threlkeld, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Riverside jail, faces multiple life sentences if convicted of all counts, which include kidnapping to commit rape, aggravated sexual assault, lewd acts on a child, indecent exposure and possession of child pornography.

The complaint names 50 alleged victims, though prosecutors believe the actual number is in excess of 100.

Court documents allege the defendant targeted girls between 11 and 17 years old, contacting most of them between August 2007 and the winter of 2009.

Threlkeld is accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl, "Sara Miller," to initiate communication with the girls, most of whom he met via MySpace and Facebook, some from as far away as London, England. He allegedly would purport that "Sara" was sometimes paid to pose nude for a photographer named "Josh" at "Model 508 Studios."

After establishing a rapport with the girls, Threlkeld would allegedly attempt to talk them into modeling nude for him or sending him nude photographs of themselves, according to a trial brief filed by Deputy District Attorney Melissa Moore.

The prosecutor alleged that some girls turned him down flat, while others expressed an interest, leading to face-to-face encounters between the defendant and his alleged victims. Most of the girls who met him were from Corona, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, Romoland and Winchester, according to the prosecution.

Threlkeld allegedly set up photography sessions at his Orange home, in San Jacinto and in Palm Springs. On some occasions, the defendant would allegedly arrange for two girls to meet him, according to the brief.

The defendant would allegedly have the victims disrobe and then interact with one another in sexually suggestive ways while he snapped pictures.

A 13-year-old girl identified in court documents as Vanessa met with Threlkeld in the summer of 2008 for a photo shoot at a Palm Springs hotel, where she alleged the defendant sexually assaulted her and paid her $120 afterward, prosecutors allege.