Police: Man using messenger app solicited sex from cop he thought was 12-year-old girl
There is a new warning for parents who have kids on social media. A Prince George's County man has been arrested for soliciting sex from a 12-year-old girl on an app known as Kik Messenger.
Howard County police say the man had been sending the girl sexually explicit messages and photos and arranged a meeting with what he thought was the 12-year-old.
Instead, officers were waiting and took the man, identified as 21-year-old Vincent Hill, into custody.
According to the charging documents in the case, the girl told police Hill had been sending her explicit photos of himself and soliciting her for sex. He told the 12-year-old he knew her address and provided proof.
The document says with her consent, police used the 12-year-old's Kik Messenger and typed messages to Hill pretending to be the girl.
Police were able to learn who they were exchanging messages with when Hill sent his cell phone number and a picture of his car.
The document says Hill also included a picture of himself on his Kik profile.
In one of the messages, Hill said he would bring "Plan B" with him so she wouldn't get pregnant.
He agreed to meet last Friday at a location in Columbia, but the police had the place under surveillance and Hill was taken into custody.
The police released this statement along with the details of the arrest:
"Police are reminding parents to be aware of their children's use of social media. Kik offers instant messaging of texts, photos and other multi-media content. Cyber safety experts have reported that part of the app's appeal to children and teens is that it does not require the use of mobile phone numbers, so contact information cannot be tracked by parents like traditional text messaging through a mobile carrier."
The app is free and can be downloaded and put to use after providing some personal information, including an email address.
Police are asking anyone else who may have been solicited by Hill to contact police at 410-313STOP.