NEW PORT RICHEY, FL - July 15, 2020 - According to an online news report published on Manditory.com, a 39-year-old man from New Port Richey, Florida, traveled all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with the intention of meeting a 14-year-old girl for sexual intercourse. The news report stated that the Kalama Police Department is alleging the middle-aged Florida man engaging in "grooming" the child for sex over several months. The suspect found the girl and communicated with the underage girl by way of numerous social media accounts. The article alleges that the 39-year-old New Port Richey man interacted with the child, and he also represented himself to the child as a 20-year-old man. Although the man described himself as much younger, it is still a violation of the law for anyone 18 years of age or older to have any sexual relationship with a minor (an individual under the age of 18).
The 14-year-old girl's family discovered the social media interactions between their child and the Florida man. Once the parents confirmed that the suspect had sexual intentions with their child, the parents turned their daughter's girl's media accounts over to investigators with the Kalama Police Department. As the Kalama Police Department began their undercover investigation, detectives discovered that the New Port Richey man had already left the State of Florida and that the man was already in Vancouver to meet the child.
Kalama Police Department investigators determined that setting up a sting operation would be too risky and could place the child in danger. Therefore, the Kalama Police Department investigators determined that the suspect needed to be placed in police custody without hesitation. The Kalama Police Department detectives continued to chat online with the suspect until they were able to locate the suspect successfully. By impersonating the young girl, the Kalama Police Department detectives were able to persuade the suspect to leave his undetermined hotel room and to "meet" the young girl at her house. When the suspect arrived at the victim's house, law enforcement officers descended upon the suspect, and he placed under arrest. The suspect attempted to stash a plastic bag containing a mobile phone, box of gum, chocolates, and a love letter he wrote to the underage girl.
Law enforcement then conducted a search of the suspect's hotel room, where the law enforcement officers discovered what the officers claim to be a "kidnaper's kit." The kidnapper's kit contained rubber gloves, duct tape, handcuffs, a blindfold, a sex toy, a sex lubricant, a hatchet, knives, and a .45 caliber pistol. The news report states that stories like this are a good reminder for parents to educate their children about the dangers of communicating with strangers online. According to the news story, this situation could have had a tragic outcome for the young girl.