57-year-old man suspected of dating, soliciting 16-year-old girl

A vigilant Target shopper led Glendale police to a 57-year-old man suspected of soliciting his teenage girlfriend online and in text messages with strangers, police said.

The shopper spotted the couple last Thursday at the Glendale Galleria Target, where the 16-year-old North Hollywood girl was holding up lingerie and posing, while the man — identified as Timothy Marchini — took photographs, said Glendale Police Sgt. Robert William.

The woman approached the pair and asked the teen if she was OK. They said everything was fine, but the shopper called police anyway.

After initially denying having a sexual relationship, the couple admitted that they were dating and having sex, telling police that they met online three months ago. During a consent search of Marchini’s phone, William said, investigators found nude photos of the teen.

Police also reportedly found text messages with other men in which Marchini offered the girl up for sex, with the nude photos attached. Later that day, investigators searched his Los Angeles home, where they found a “large” inventory of sex toys.

Marchini was charged Monday with six counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of sodomy of a person under 18 and one count each of oral copulation of a minor and possession of child pornography, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

He pleaded not guilty this week to the charges.

Marchini, who is being held in lieu of $390,000 bail, is due back in court next month.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Glendale police at (818) 548-4911.

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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek