A Westmoreland County man is in jail awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges that he solicited sex last month from a 12-year-old girl after he first posed as a female in text messages to the child.

Mickey Jay Ashbaugh, 32, of South Huntingdon, is being held in the Armstrong County Jail on $100,000 bail, pending a preliminary hearing scheduled at 9 a.m. Tuesday before District Judge J. Gary DeComo in Ford City.

Mr. Ashbaugh was arrested Wednesday at his home after he failed to show up for a meeting he had arranged with who he thought was the 12-year-old.

On June 4 he sent an unsolicited text message to the Ford Cliff, Armstrong County, girl, cultivating a cell phone relationship with her by claiming to be an 18-year-old woman. He eventually admitted he was male, but he claimed to be 22 years old.

The girl's mother found out about the contacts, notified state police, and troopers continued responding to his messages while they pretended to be the girl.

The suspect made persistent propositions to have sex with the girl, and he had arranged to meet her July 1 police said.

When Mr. Ashbaugh failed to show up for the meeting, troopers from Kittanning and Belle Vernon went to his home to arrest him.

Investigators said he confessed to his role in the scheme.

District Judge Samuel Goldstrohm arraigned Mr. Ashbaugh on charges of attempted rape, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication device, and corruption of a minor.