Detectives with the King County Sheriff’s Office Special Assault Unit arrested a 30 year old Smithville, Ontario man on Friday Jan. 23 for communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

In December of 2014 a 14 year old southeast King County girl began chatting online with the male. She disclosed her true age and he continued to pursue the online relationship, going so far as to make plans to travel from Canada. His stated plan was to meet and spend a weekend with her in a hotel. They agreed she would tell her parents she had been kidnapped and drugged to explain her absence.

The online chats were discovered in mid-December by a school district employee and the Sheriff’s Office was notified. Detectives worked with their counterparts in Canada to identify the male and confirm he had purchased an airline ticket to fly into SeaTac International Airport late Friday morning.

Canadian authorities verified he boarded the flight and detectives here picked up his trail upon arrival at SeaTac. He rented a car and drove to the pre-arranged meet area near Kent. At this point detectives stopped the car and he was taken into custody. The victim in this case was unaware the police had been involved, and she never made in person contact with the suspect.

He was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of Communicating with a Minor for Immoral Purposes and investigation of Kidnapping. Detectives will continue to work with Canadian police to look into the possibility of more juvenile victims.