Found in Virginia
In October, a 46-year-old was arrested after he lured a 15-year-old Florida girl to running away with him on
MySpace.com. Of course, he did not tell her that he was 46-years-old. The teen thought he was twenty something and she was in love. The predators do not just go after any teen...they screen carefully and look for signs of being
at-risk.
Because of the extensive media coverage of the girl's disappearance, the predator released her in a Virginia mall. He had a gun and said he would kill her if she didn't do exactly as he said. She was found safe but authorities believe that she had already been sexually assaulted by the man.
Good News.
Law enforcement is requiring offenders to register their e-mail and instant message handles with authorities. That information will then be shared with sites like
MySpace.com and blocks will be put in place to prevent them from communicating on the site. The state of Virginia has increased the penalties from 5 years to 15 years in jail for possessing child pornography and soliciting minors. [msnbc,Oct. 6, 2007]
Bad news
Many
predators molest or assault over 100 children before caught. Sites like MySpace are like supermarkets for the depraved.
Read
previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
