A 27-year-old Fargo man accused of impregnating a juvenile he met on the Internet pleaded innocent Thursday to corrupting a minor.
Joel Paul MacDermid appeared in Cass County District Court before East Central District Judge Norman Backes.
A social worker at Innovis Hospital in Fargo called police last January after the juvenile, then 16, gave birth. The worker was concerned about the age discrepancy between the mother and MacDermid, according to court documents.
MacDermid told police he met the juvenile about one year ago on the Internet, court documents said.
They have been dating since Nov. 18, 2000. The relationship turned sexual in the early summer when the juvenile was still 15, court documents said.
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The juvenile's parents told police that when the two first started dating, they kept the relationship secret.
The parents, however, have since met MacDermid and approve of him, according to court documents.
The parents did not want to seek legal action against MacDermid, and the mother told police the two plan to marry when the girl turns 18.
MacDermid told police he is currently employed full time and will support the juvenile and child, according to court documents.
