Nanaimo RCMP say a U.S. man who travelled to the city in what they’re calling a potential luring of an underage girl was deterred by two municipal employees.
Police say the 53-year-old man, from a mid-western U.S. state, had been talking to the girl, who was between the ages of 11-15, on a social media app called V-sing.
The pair had been communicating through the app for about nine months as well as using Facetime on a daily basis before the man travelled to Nanaimo and met up with her at Robins Park the afternoon of Wednesday, June 29, according to RCMP.
The pair were sitting close to each other in the bleacher at the game when two City of Nanaimo employees noticed them talking, later telling police that it was apparent they weren’t father and daughter judging by their interactions and gestures.
The witnesses eventually called police to attend, and when officers arrived the girl told them she was under the impression the man she had been speaking with was 25 years old.
“She said the two of them were nothing more than good friends,” police said in a Monday news release. “The adult was spoken to privately. His true age was confirmed to be 53 and that he had arrived in Nanaimo that day after travelling from his home in a mid-western state of the USA. He told officers he was booked into a local hotel for the next two days.”
The man tried to convince officers he and the girl were just friends, but when pressed he admitted his intentions “could be seen as being sexual in nature,” police said.
Mounties say there wasn’t enough evidence to detain him and he was told to leave Nanaimo at once and return home, later confirming with Canada Services Border Security Agency that the man had crossed the border into the U.S.
Police say an investigation is ongoing and that the Department of Homeland Security is also looking into it.
“Investigators would also like to acknowledge the witnesses who provided such timely evidence,” said Const. Gary O’Brien of Nanaimo RCMP. “If it was not for their astute observations and phone call, this incident could have ended terribly for this young lady and her family.”
Police are urging parents to keep their kids safe online by trying to talk to them about online activity, keeping a close eye on who their online friends are, monitoring what apps and websites they use and do not allow cell phones, tablets or any other electronic devices in their bedrooms.
CHEK News
