OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — A registered sex offender is behind bars in Venango County after he allegedly attempted to lure several children into a vehicle.

Around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 16, officers of the Oil City Police Department were dispatched the 100 block of Wilson Avenue for a report of a suspicious male that had been attempting to lure several children into a motor vehicle.

Upon arrival, police made contact with the children, who ranged from ages 10 to 14. The children reported that approximately three weeks earlier, while they were playing outside at night, they were approached by a man in a dark-colored SUV. They reported that the man had made various statements to the children, attempting to lure them into his vehicle.

The children described the man as “older” with gray hair and glasses.

The male caretaker at the scene with the children stated that when he became aware of the situation, he accessed the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law website. After entering some filtering criteria, he began scrolling through the pictures of registered offenders with the children, and the children identified the man as 56-year-old Craig A. Ralph of 15 Harriott Avenue, Apt. 3, Oil City.

According to police, a follow-up investigation conducted with other children at another residence yielded a similar outcome.

Police made contact with Ralph via phone a short time later, and he agreed to be interviewed by investigators at the Oil City Police Department.

At the conclusion of the interview, Ralph was placed under arrest.

He was arraigned at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, September 16, in Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland office, on five second-degree felony counts of Luring a Child into a Motor Vehicle.

Unable to post $25,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Venango County Jail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 26, with Judge Kirtland presiding.

Ralph was convicted for possessing child pornography in 2010. The following year, he was convicted on charges related to the sexual abuse of children.