A 34-year-old man reportedly tried to set up a meeting at Kent Station with girls ages 13 and 15 to pay them for sex with him back at his home.
Kent Police arrested the man for investigation of commercial sex abuse of a minor, according to the police report. The man didn’t know the text messages he exchanged on May 25 were with an undercover officer assigned to a prostitution sting case.
The text exchange started on May 25 when the man reportedly replied to an advertisement with a phone number in the dating or massage section on backpage.com. Police placed the ad as part of an operation to arrest men seeking prostitutes by meeting them at the Ramada Inn, 22318 84th Ave. S.
But before the man showed up at the hotel, he asked in text messages if the woman, an undercover officer, had any friends who could join them. The woman told him she knew about girls ages 13 and 15 who could meet him.
The man allegedly agreed to pay about $400 for sex and texted a photo of himself so the girls would know what he looked like. He agreed to meet them after they got off a bus at the Kent Station shopping center. Officers saw the man walking around the outdoor mall. When he didn’t see the girls, he got in his truck and drove away.
Officers pulled the truck over in the 600 block of Central Avenue North. The man told officers he wanted to be an informant to help find people who exploit young girls. Before an officer could ask him questions, the man asked for a lawyer.
Punches thrown in vehicle
Police arrested a man for investigation of fourth-degree assault after he allegedly punched another man in the face during a dispute in a vehicle at about 1:54 a.m. May 28.
Officers responded to an assist call to Auburn Police at a gas station at the corner of South 277th Street and Auburn Way North, according to the police report. A driver had run over several cones in the parking lot and claimed to have been attacked in the vehicle while driving through Kent.
Each man told officers that the other man was driving. But only one of the men had a swollen eye. The victim told police he tried to stop the other man from driving drunk so he reached over and put the vehicle in park. That apparently upset the driver who then punched the other man in the face.
Three caught in stolen car
Officers arrested three people who were found inside a stolen car parked at about midnight May 25 in the parking lot at the Rock Creek Landing Apartments, 1024 Central Ave. N.
Officers responded to a call about a possible drunk driver in the parking lot, according to the police report.
One of the men reportedly stole the 1994 Honda Civic from a park and ride lot in Federal Way. Police found a shaved key inside the car. Thieves often shave keys in order to get a key to start a vehicle. The man told officers he found the car in the parking lot with the keys inside of it.
Police arrested a man for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle. Officers arrested a second man for possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana (he was under 21). Officers arrested a woman for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of vehicle prowl tools.
Man uses bat as threat
Police arrested a man for investigation of attempted assault after he reportedly threatened a roommate with a baseball bat during a dispute at about 6:54 p.m. May 27 at a home in the 21600 block of 84th Avenue South.
The two men apparently had a dispute about the price of rent, according to the police report. One man said rent was too high, so the other man allegedly picked up a baseball bat and told the man to leave the house.
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