Detectives with the King County Sheriff’s Office Special Assault Unit arrested a Smithville, Ontario man on Jan. 23 near Kent for investigation of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and kidnapping.
The man remained in custody on Monday at the county jail at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Bail was set at $750,000. He is scheduled to make his second court appearance on Wednesday.
A girl, 14, who lives near Kent, began chatting online with the 30-year-old Canadian man in December, according to a Sheriff’s Office media release.
The girl used a school computer to chat with the man, according to probable cause documents filed in King County District Court. She disclosed her true age and he reportedly continued to pursue the online relationship, going so far as to make plans to travel from Canada. The age of sexual consent in Washington is 16.
The man’s stated plan was to meet and spend a weekend with the girl in a hotel. They agreed she would tell her parents she had been kidnapped and drugged to explain her absence.
The online chats were discovered in mid-December by a school district employee and the Sheriff’s Office was notified. Detectives worked with their counterparts in Canada to identify the male and confirm he had purchased an airline ticket to fly from Toronto into Sea-Tac International Airport late Friday morning on Jan. 23.
Canadian authorities verified he boarded the flight and detectives in King County picked up his trail upon arrival at Sea-Tac. He rented a car and drove to the pre-arranged meet area near Kent. At this point detectives stopped the car and took the man into custody. The victim in this case was unaware the police had been involved, and she never made in person contact with the suspect.
Detectives will continue to work with Canadian police to look into the possibility of more juvenile victims.
As of Monday, King County prosecutors were still reviewing the case. A Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman declined to release the name of the school district where the girl attends school to help protect her privacy.
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