Mom monitoring Grapevine 9-year-old's phone stops accused sex predator
Grapevine police said a mother monitoring her 9-year-old daughter's phone helped stop a sex predator suspect.
Police said the 36-year-old man thought he was meeting the young girl for sex, but instead he was met by police.
Jonathan Ashely Butler has been charged with online solicitation of a minor and lived in the same apartment complex as the girl's father. The girl lives with her mother in another city but often visits her father in Grapevine.
Police said the mother noticed inappropriate texts to her daughter from Butler and was alarmed by what she read.
"Once she observed the inappropriate message she continued the conversation as if to be her daughter. The text messages became more and more inappropriate at that point," said Sgt. Robert Eberling, Grapevine police.
Police said what happened is an example of why parents should be proactive and vigilant when it comes to their kids' online activities.
Police are also examining Butler's and the girl's phone for anything that could lead them to other victims.