Keeping kids safe on the Internet
'They used to drive around in cars and hand out candy, now they're doing it on the
Internet. They know what to say and what to give them," said Detective Darrin Barlow
of the Xenia Police Department.
As the Internet makes its way into homes across the United States and is increasingly
used by children, it serves as a breeding ground for pedophiles, Barlow said. The police
department has conducted several Internet stings since March, resulting in criminal
charges against five adult men.
After forming an Internet relationship with a 15- year-old Millersburg girl, a West
Virginia man recently admitted to having sexual relations with the girl during a weekend
trip to Holmes County in March.
Jeffrey Lynn Kuykendall, 39, of Keyser, surrendered to deputies and pleaded guilty to two
charges of corruption of a minor in Holmes County Common Pleas Court.
This is the first case in Holmes County in which someone has been charged with a crime
facilitated by the Internet, said assistant Prosecutor Steve Knowling.
Kuykendall and the girl met in a chat room on the Internet, according to Knowling. The
relationship was nurtured over several months of shared e-mail messages and cards.
When Kuykendall traveled to Ohio on the weekend of March 4, the two met in a local motel
and engaged in reciprocal oral sex, Knowling said. In early June the girl's parents found
evidence to suggest the relationship existed, and they confronted their daughter. They
then contacted authorities.
Her parents said the girl had no social life, she was not involved in extracurricular
activities, did not have a boyfriend and spent a lot of time in Internet chat rooms,
Knowling explained. However, they didn't suspect anything was going on until they found
some hand-written letters.
These are the types of children predators hunt for on the Internet, Barlow said.
"They look for disenfranchised kids, kids who become trusting and are looking for
friends over the Internet."
A recent Green County case involved a 12-year- old girl receiving communications from a
man in Oklahoma. "He was hanging out in a Tic Tac Toe chat room, befriended her, and
over time the conversation became more lascivious. Each time, it was related to sex in
some way," said the county's assistant prosecutor Craig King. He had made several
references that he intended to come to Ohio and pick her up, and "she was almost
brainwashed into going with him."
Eventually, the girl's mother intercepted one of communications and called police.
Because the mere solicitation is only a misdemeanor in Ohio, the case was prosecuted in
Oklahoma, where, under that states indecent proposal law, the offender was sentenced to
seven years in prison.
In Ohio, for an Internet predator to be charged with a felony, he must not only solicit
the minor child, but must make an attempt to meet them. This is why more and more law
enforcement offices are getting involved in sting operations, where investigator pose as
minor children. When a predator suggests meeting, they are greeted with the unwelcome
sight of officers. Only then can he be charged with attempted corruption of a minor, a
fifth-degree felony.
To better protect Ohio's children a new bill was presented to the House judiciary
committee in June. If passed, it would make Internet sexual solicitation of child under
13, or a law enforcement officer posing as minors, a fourth-degree felony, King said.
Because of the anonymity provided by the Internet, "people who you wouldn't normally
suspect as being predators come out on the Internet," Barlow said. "It provides
a mode for people to do things they might not normally have done (in person). There are
tens of thousands of people on the Internet looking for children, and they're doing it
everyday."
Oftentimes, predators misrepresent themselves on the Internet and "hang out" in
chat rooms that attract young children.
"In a chat room, anybody can pretend they're someone else," Knowling said.
For this reason, it is critical that parents monitor their children's activity on the
Internet. "You can respect their privacy, but children are susceptible. Parents need
to make their child know they should never give out personal information, including their
last name," Barlow said.
"'Just say no to drugs' and 'Never give out personal information on the Internet.' It
should be that type of mantra that they chant over and over so it gets stuck in their
heads," he said.
If parents find evidence, or even suspect, their child is being solicited online, it is
time to contact their local law enforcement agency or the FBI, Barlow said. "And, if
possible, the best thing to do if you know child is doing this, get a screen name, e-mail
address, save mail and print it out because there's information on the mail you can use to
track the people down."
"A lot of harm can come from (these Internet relationships)," he said. And, even
if a juvenile agrees to meeting with someone they've met over the Internet, it's criminal.
While 16 is the age of consent in Ohio, sexual contact with an adult is still corruption.
And, while distribution of pornographic material over the Internet is legal, such
transmissions to children are criminal. As is distribution and possession by anyone of
child pornography.
Like parents had to change their way of thinking when cable television made its way into
America's homes, now they must be aware of what their children are discovering online,
Knowling said. "But, the potential for problems is much more on the Internet. They're
making contact with real people. There are a lot of perverts out there, and they're in
kids bedrooms via the Internet. As a parent, I'd be less concerned about R-rated movies
than my child's activity on the Internet.
"Parents need to be aware and pay attention to what their kids are doing. Don't think
anything good can come from spending two to three hours a day on the Internet. This is
just one more thing parents have to worry about. This is fatal stuff. You could get a
serial killer or could have a missing kid."
Kuykendall, a single parent of two children, faces a maximum sentence of three in prison
and a $10,000 fine. Sentencing and a sexual predator hearing are scheduled for Oct. 30.
Source: http://www.the-daily-record.com/past_issues/10_oct/001008dr2.html