Charging documents say two encounters happened behind a Dundalk Wawa on North Point Boulevard.
DUNDALK, Md. — A 20-year-old Forest Hill man is being held without bond after Baltimore County authorities charged him with raping a 12-year-old girl he met on Snapchat, with assaults alleged to have occurred Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 behind a Wawa on North Point Boulevard.
Prosecutors say Jason Arnold faces two counts of first-degree rape of a child and four counts of second-degree rape without consent. The case surfaced this week after relatives traced the girl’s location to the Dundalk convenience store and alerted police. Investigators documented two separate encounters and took statements from the child at a hospital. Arnold was arrested and booked into a Baltimore County detention facility. A bail review was set for midweek; court records now list him as held without bond while the investigation continues.
Charging papers describe a sequence that began when Arnold contacted the girl on Snapchat and arranged to meet her away from home. On Nov. 16, family members used a phone location service to track her to the Wawa and intervened, according to the documents. The next day, investigators say Arnold returned to the same store, parked near a dumpster, folded down the seats of a silver Lexus and brought the child into the back seat. The papers state he kissed and groped her, then had sex with her. When she tried to stop him, he allegedly forced her to perform oral sex. Police later met the girl and her father at Greater Baltimore Medical Center shortly before 3 a.m., where a forensic nurse documented injuries and collected evidence, according to the filings.
Authorities identified Arnold as the suspect through the child’s account, messages on her phone and descriptions of the vehicle and meeting spot, the documents say. Detectives also noted that relatives had previously confronted the pair outside the store. A Wawa spokesperson declined to comment on the active investigation but said store employees are cooperating with law enforcement. In a separate interview about online safety, University of Maryland information studies professor Jennifer Golbeck said social platforms can allow bad actors to contact many young users at once, calling it “a place where people who are vulnerable can be reached at scale,” and urging vigilance from adults who supervise kids’ online lives. Arnold denied having sex with the child when questioned, according to the documents. The girl’s name is being withheld because of her age.
Context from court records shows Arnold was charged in an unrelated rape case in Harford County in 2024; details of that matter were not immediately available, and its current status was not listed in the Baltimore County filing. The Dundalk Wawa where the incidents are alleged sits off North Point Boulevard near a cluster of big-box stores and highway ramps, a busy spot day and night. In recent years, Baltimore-area police have documented several child exploitation cases that began on photo- and message-based apps, noting how disappearing messages and private group settings complicate evidence collection. Detectives in the current case cite preserved communications and the rapid involvement of the child’s family as key to establishing a timeline.
Arnold’s initial appearance occurred this week in Baltimore County District Court. A bond commissioner and judge reviewed the allegations and ordered him held without bail given the child’s age and the nature of the charges, according to court notations summarized in the charging file. The next procedural step is a preliminary hearing in district court, typically held within a few weeks, where prosecutors outline probable cause and may seek to indict in circuit court. If the state files additional counts or secures an indictment, an arraignment date would follow. Investigators said they are still reviewing digital evidence and canvassing for surveillance video from nearby businesses. The state’s attorney’s office did not say when it will present the case to a grand jury.
At the store Thursday, a steady line of customers moved past gas pumps and delivery trucks. A man grabbing coffee said he had seen police cars in the area earlier in the week but did not know why. Another shopper, who gave only her first name because of safety concerns, called the details “sickening” and said she worries about kids who walk past the lot after school. The Wawa entrance faces a broad parking area divided by light poles and dumpsters; behind them, traffic on North Point Boulevard drowns out conversation. “Parents try to keep up, but online it happens fast,” Golbeck said in the interview about how offenders use social apps to make contact. The child remains under family care, and officials did not release medical information.
As of Sunday, Arnold remained jailed without bond in Baltimore County. Detectives said they are awaiting full lab reports from the hospital exam and continuing to retrieve phone records. A preliminary hearing date had not been posted. Authorities said any additional updates would come after evidence reviews and charging decisions expected in the coming weeks.
Author note: Last updated November 23, 2025.