On December 2nd, a Seattle Police Vice detective received a complaint that a 47-year-old male suspect was posting an advertisement online seeking a young girl. The detective, posing as a child, responded to the suspect’s posting via his undercover email account. In several email exchanges the suspect continued making incriminating statements of his intent and knowledge to have sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Coincidentally, a Seattle Police detective assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce was also developing probable cause to arrest the same suspect for attempted rape of a child. The suspect was emailing this detective believing he was a juvenile girl.
On December 11th, the suspect agreed to meet the ’15-year-old girl’ he had been conversing with at a predetermined downtown location. Vice detectives acted as surveillance and patrol officers were detailed to be the arrest team. Once the suspect arrived he was arrested without incident by uniformed officers.
The suspect was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Commercial Sex Abuse of a Minor and Investigation of Attempt Rape of a Child.