With the technology that is available today, police officers seem to be arresting an increasing number of individuals through online sex stings. When police think they have identified an alleged perpetrator, officers may engage the person in online conversations.
Courts allow law enforcement individuals to pretend to be children in order to conduct sting operations. However, there is often a fine line between enticing criminal behavior and attracting it.
One Louisiana man is currently facing charges after he allegedly sent sexually explicit pictures of himself to someone he met in an online chat room. The pictures were sent to a police officer who was posing as a 13 year-old girl. Because of the interaction, the man is facing felony sex charges.
If the man is found guilty, he may be fined up to $5,000 and could spend up to a year in prison.
However, his recent arrest is not his only worry. He is also being held for Louisiana authorities for additional sex charge allegations. That arrest warrant is for two counts of indecent exposure and solicitation of a minor.
At this point, it is not clear what evidence the authorities have against the man. If the man works with an experienced criminal defense attorney, he or she might be able to do more investigative work regarding the conversation between the officer and the arrested man. If the officer was suggestive, or if he expressed an interest in experimenting sexually, he may have encouraged the accused individual to act in a way that he might not have otherwise.
Working with an attorney can help ensure that the jury hears all the facts in a case, and not just the information the police officers want presented.
Source: SunHerald.com, “Man arrested during sex-crime sting,” Margaret Baker, 15 June 2011
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