Posted on 01/02/2003 12:34:22 PM PST by hoosierskypilot
TURLOCK -- Jerry Dock McClain drove 1,500 miles from Texas to Turlock with plans to rendezvous with a 13-year-old girl he met on the Internet and whisk her away to Mexico, police say.
Instead, the 65-year-old retired Navy veteran was whisked away -- to jail -- after his arrest by detectives with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force.
McClain's arrest was the 30th that Detective Ken Hedrick has made in the past 30 months -- a string that drew the attention of ABC Television's "Good Morning America." The show plans to profile the latest case Friday.
The investigation began in April when McClain met who he thought was a 13-year-old girl in an Internet chat room.
Only later would he learn that the teen-ager was Hedrick, who was playing the role of a 13-year-old as part of an electronic sting targeting pedophiles.
Over the months, Hedrick and McClain chatted regularly, detectives said. At one point, the two talked on the telephone.
"Hedrick uses a voice synthesizer that changes his voice to that of a young girl," said Sgt. Adam Christianson, Hedrick's supervisor on the task force. "We use it because often perpetrators want to talk to the victim to validate that they actually are talking to a young girl."
The two also exchanged items through the mail. McClain asked for some girl's underwear, and Hedrick sent him some, Christianson said.
McClain later e-mailed and told Hedrick he had framed and hung the underwear on his wall. And when police in Kerrville
Texas, searched McClain's home, that is exactly what they found.
Man allegedly meant to take teen to Mexico
The e-mail liaison stretched into October, when McClain unveiled a plan to come get the teen-ager, take her to Texas and then to Mexico, Stanislaus County sheriff's deputy Tom Letras said.
"He went so far as to tell the girl to get rid of all pictures of herself in the house so they couldn't issue an Amber alert, and said, 'We'll cut your hair and make you look like a boy,'" Letras said.
"The plan was they were going to meet at a motel in Turlock and have sex after school. Then after Thanksgiving she was going to run off with him."
McClain scratched the November rendezvous because of car trouble, Letras said. They rescheduled for Dec. 19, and he made the 1,500-mile trip from Kerrville.
"He showed up 24 hours early and drove by her junior high and the Burger King where they were to meet," Christianson said. "We had him under surveillance the whole time."
McClain had said he would be in the Burger King and would leave the doors to his car unlocked, Letras said. The girl was to get in his car and duck behind the seat. He would then come out and they would drive away.
Instead, McClain stayed parked across the street waiting for the girl, Christianson said.
"We have a female deputy who is very young-looking and small, who we dressed in the clothes he requested -- backpack, baseball cap and coveralls," Christianson said.
"She went into the Burger King and he pulled up from across the street, flashing his lights to get her attention, and into the Burger King parking lot. The moment he walked into the restaurant, we arrested him."
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
I suspect that is the case most of the time. But do you honestly take them at their word that they are 100% honest and as pure as the wind driven snow? I do not.
You are kidding, right?
Yep! Could show you examples.
No, I am not kidding. You might not mind federal officals lying about and misrepresenting who they are. I do mind.
Why is he so surprised about journalists? Some of them support this kind of crime.
But it is entertaining television.
Well, bully for you.
You are no doubt one of those twits who think spies should present accurate calling cards and the CIA should be barred from trafficking with the unsavory.
Thank God you don't get to set the ground rules.
If the perp is the one who starts and engages the agent in the activity then fine, the agent can play along and say he is a 13 year old girl. No problem.
But, if the agent, posing as a 13 year old girl is soliciting conversation then I have a problem with it.
Just as if an undercover agent is on the street corner and a man goes up to him and asks if he has any dope for sale. The man attempting to buy should be arrested. But undercover agents shouldnt be allowed to stand on the street corner and ask passerbys if they want to buy some dope.
Yeah, likely not. I was just thinking that if an agent were trying to get info from a perv on the best "fishing spots", as it were...or trying to ingratiate himself into a group by playing along....that kind of thing.
There must be all kinds of angles they work.
I'm only privy to the local newspaper for info, but I'll be sure to let you know if anything more developes.
As you may have noted from the reports on the Laci Peterson disappearance, over 150 registered sex offenders live within a small area surrounding Laci's residence. These SO's have been interviewed by LE. However, it is very rare that sex offender individuals make it to the newspaper. If they do, even more rare is a follow-up story.
The newspapers are more interested in selling advertising space than wasting their time on reporting news that the public would like to know about - especially when it concerns the safety and well being of themselves and family. /rant
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