Defense attorney asks Westmoreland court to pay for evaluation in alleged trafficking case

The attorney representing a Philadelphia man who authorities believe intended to traffic a 13-year-old Greensburg girl said Thursday he expects his client to plead guilty in the case.

If that happens, Angel Lopez, 19, is likely facing mandatory sentences on at least some of the charges against him, according to attorney John McCaul.

That’s why McCaul wants a Westmoreland County judge to authorize the payment of a clinical psychologist to assist with mitigating factors for sentencing. McCaul is being paid privately by the parents of Lopez but is requesting the county to foot the bill for the expert, whose services he estimated to cost $10,000.

“I think it will be in my client’s best interest to retain him,” McCaul said.

Lopez was arrested in March after, Greensburg police said, he paid for an Uber to drive the girl 280 miles across the state where they believe he sexually assaulted her. The girl escaped, and police arrested Lopez on 14 felonies including kidnapping, trafficking and sexual assault, among other offenses.

Police believe Lopez and the girl communicated for four days through social media.

Assistant District Attorney Aubri Swank said allowing the appointment of an expert for $10,000 would be a strain on county resources.

McCaul said his client’s parents live in Chicago and they have financial constraints outside of the attorney’s fees. He asked for the county to foot the bill for some or all of the expert costs. Lopez did not have a job at the time of his arrest.

“I think that the financial resources are tapped out from his end,” McCaul said.

Judge Michael J. Stewart II said he’d make a decision in a week or so, adding that McCaul made a good point that putting up the best defense for an indigent client would save money in a future appeal.

“I can see both sides of this,” he said. “I’ll do some research.”

Greensburg police were notified March 14 by the girl’s mother that she was missing and had left a note indicating she ran away, according to court papers. They couldn’t reach her by cellphone, but a ping indicated she was near Ogontz Avenue in Philadelphia, about 280 miles away.

Conversations through social media between Lopez and the girl contained sexually explicit messages and graphic videos, police said. The girl told police Lopez almost immediately began sexually assaulting her after she got to Philadelphia in the Uber that cost about $462, according to court papers.

He remains in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail.