Jul 24, 2008 8:31 pm US/Pacific
Mom Uncovers Girl's Date With Alleged Predator
LINO LAKES, Minn. (CBS) ―
This story is a wake-up call and a warning for every parent whose child uses a computer and has a Web page. Lino Lakes, Minn. Police just arrested Anthony Garrity for allegedly soliciting sex on the Internet from a teenage girl, a girl he met on MySpace.
While MySpace is popular with young people, posting pictures and telling the world about themselves, it's also popular with predators.
"We caught this one, I think, in the very early stages, which is good," Sgt. Bill Hammes with the Lino Lakes Police Department said. "Boy, if I was a parent, my red flag would go up real fast. I would be very concerned with that."
Hammes knows this situation could have been much worse, if it hadn't been for a Minnesota mother's quick thinking. She checked her daughter's My Space account and read conversations allegedly between her 15-year-old and Garrity, a 22-year-old from Webster, Wis. The two allegedly planned to get together to have sex.
The criminal complaint in the case even talks of Garrity "…describing what type of sexual intercourse he likes to have and inviting (the female) to do something like that to him the next time they see each other."
The mother told police, and then they started chatting with Garrity online. They lured him to a gas station right across the street from police headquarters just two days ago. He was in for a surprise when he got there.
"He thought he was going to meet this 15-year-old at the gas station, but he found the police waiting for him when he got there," Hammes said.
Garrity now sits in the Anoka County Jail, facing a charge of soliciting sex from a minor. The criminal complaint also states, "The defendant acknowledged that he knew he was communicating with a 15-year-old by Internet."
He could go to jail for up to three years, if he's convicted of this crime.
Police also took Garrity's computer, and officials at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will analyze it. They want to know if he has contacted other teenage girls for sex.
"Hopefully other parents are paying attention, and they're not afraid to check their kids' computers and cell phones, and find out who your kids are dealing with out there," said Hammes.
He believes this case is a textbook example of why adults need to supervise their children online. This mother, he said, did the right thing before her child got hurt.
Hammes said that's something he wants every parent to do: check their child's computer and their cell phone. Texting has become popular too, and it's just as easy to text as it is to email.
"Oh, I think this is extremely important. These are our kids. We need to protect them," said Hammes.
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