Pandora’s Blog

I am actually under a deadline, but I would never miss the chance to post the weekly round-up of scumbags caught trying to solicit kids on the internet. Check out our summer safety press release in the previous post as well. Remember: PC Pandora can be a set of eyes this summer that will help you keep your kids safe online – and believe me, they WILL be online a lot this summer…

Here’s the summary of today’s round-up, followed by the full stories and links. Enjoy!

• A 19-year-old man from Maine drove to upstate NY to pick up a 13-year-old girl he met on MySpace and took her on a road trip before ditching her in a Pennsylvania mall. This was a REAL girl involved who CONSENTED to meeting and traveling with the guy.
• A 25-year-old man in Wisconsin used MySpace to find underage girls and ask for to perform sex acts for money. He contacted six REAL girls between thee ages of 12 and 15!
• A 67-year-old PASTOR from Utah was arrested after exposing himself via webcam to what he thought was a young girl.

May 20, 2009
Man allegedly used MySpace to lure 13-year-old Niagara County girl into sex
By Stephen T. Watson, News Staff Reporter

A 19-year-old man from Maine who met a 13-year-old Niagara County girl on the MySpace social-networking site before taking her to Cleveland and Erie, Pa., for several days faces numerous federal criminal charges, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office reported this evening.

Sheriff’s officials say Charles Dunlop, of Bangor, Maine, last month arranged to pick up the teen and take her to the Cleveland area before leaving her at an Erie shopping mall.

Dunlop was found the next day, April 29, by Cleveland-based FBI agents and arrested on a federal charge of transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Additional local charges, including kidnapping, are pending.

It’s not clear how long Dunlop and the 13-year-old had been talking via MySpace prior to his April 25 arrival in Niagara County.

The sheriff’s statement does not say where in the county the teen met Dunlop, who picked her up and drove her to Ohio.

Someone reported the teen as missing, and an investigation apparently led FBI agents to focus their search on the Cleveland area.

Agents found evidence that the pair stayed at several locations during their time in that area.

The missing girl was was found on April 28 at the Millcreek Mall in Erie, where Dunlop had abandoned her.

Millcreek police notified the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and helped out in the investigation. Sheriff’s investigators went to Erie to pick up the girl and bring her home.

May 22, 2009
Oshkosh man accused of using MySpace to lure teens for sex will stand trial

An Oshkosh man accused of soliciting young for sex through a social networking site will stand trial.

Winnebago County Court Commissioner Daniel Bissett found probable cause existed to bind Ryan A. Clewell, 25, over on six counts of soliciting a child for prostitution after the six teens testified during a preliminary hearing Thursday. If convicted, Clewell faces 150 years in prison and $600,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint, Clewell used MySpace, a social networking Web site, to find girls to have sexual encounters with. Using the Web site and a fake identity, Clewell contacted six Neenah girls – between the ages of 12 and 15 – and asked them to perform sex acts with him in exchange for between $150 and $600 depending on the act.

Clewell is due back in court June 1 for an arraignment.

May 26, 2009
Pastor faces charges over online sex sting

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – The Utah Attorney General’s Office has filed felony charges against a pastor who allegedly exposed himself on a web camera to an undercover officer posing as a minor.

William J. Blanscet, 67, is facing four third-degree felony charges of attempted dealing in material harmful to a minor after an investigation by the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

According to court documents, Blanscet was online in a chat room and allegedly began asking sexually explicit questions to an ICAC agent who was posing as a young girl. Blancset also allegedly showed his genitals and during other online conversations he would masturbate in front of the web camera. Blanscet also allegedly exposed himself using the Internet while he was visiting his wife in the hospital.

ICAC investigators confronted Blanscet about the online conversations and learned he is a pastor for the Church of God Prophecy in Salt Lake City. Blancset has agreed to surrender at the Salt Lake County Jail next week. All defendants are presumed to be innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

More information about the Utah ICAC Task Force and online safety tips can be found at http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/internet_safety.html

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 3:00 PM and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.