A Texas man with a history of child pornography and other sex charges and convictions has been arrested due to his involvement with a 16-year-old girl. According to police, the involvement began with a series of text messages between the pair and ended with police finding the girl in the man’s room in a home where he lived with his mother. The man is being charged with sexual assault and online solicitation of a minor, though his attorney reports that she is reviewing the charges and questions how prosecutors will proceed with the online solicitation charge.
According to reports, the girl’s parents found over 16,000 text messages between her and the 31-year-old man. The text messages reportedly contain nude photographs of the man as well as professions of love from both individuals. According to reports, the man told the girl that if she came to his home, no one would know whether she ran away or was taken by someone. He said that if there was any sign authorities suspected him, that she would have to return home and they couldn’t talk again until she was 18.
According to reports, the girl said she was picked up by the man on Dec. 20 outside of a gas station. She spent one night with him in his car. The next day, she alleges that he snuck her into the house he lived in.
The man’s previous charges include possession of child pornography and attempted aggravated kidnapping. He reportedly spent several years in prison after being convicted of those charges. He was also arrested in 2003 after reportedly attempting to force a middle schooler into his car. He was registered as a moderate risk with the sex offender registry.
When a sexual assault case involves a reportedly willing second party, a defense case can be complicated. It is illegal to engage in such activity with a minor, regardless of a consensual agreement. For this man, a strong legal defense and understanding of the law is essential given is prior record.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, “Allen sex offender accused of assaulting girl he solicited online” Valerie Wigglesworth, Jan. 30, 2014