Senior airman accused of online sex acts

[unhappycamper]

Senior airman accused of online sex acts
By Seamus O’Connor - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 27, 2008 13:06:41 EDT

An airman is on his way home from Qatar earlier than expected after being arrested on charges of making sexual advances to a minor online.

Senior Airman Todd Simmons, 23, whose home base is McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., was arrested Tuesday in Qatar on behalf of the Bergen County, N.J., prosecutor’s office. Bergen County announced the arrest after an investigation in which they allege Simmons engaged in explicit conversation with a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl online. The “girl” was actually an investigator.

According to a press release from the prosecutor’s office, “Simmons masturbated while transmitting via web camera to what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl and instructed the girl to perform sexual acts.”

Simmons used the online handles “[e-mail]” and “[e-mail],” and parents should report to the police any contact between their children and someone using those online names, the press release said.

Simmons is currently in custody of the Air Force, the release said, and is being brought back to New Jersey for his arraignment. Agents with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations assisted in the investigation, the release said.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/03/airforce_qatar_sexsting_032708w/

[Clear Blue Sky]

1. Seeing these stories virtually every day now.

[Hugabear]

2. This really is getting out of hand

Bonafide sexual predators are one thing, and I don't have much sympathy for someone who is actually having sex with a minor. But this seems to be going to far, it's like we're on a whole new witch hunt. It was already shaky enough when NBC was airing their "gotcha" program, To Catch a Predator. But now we're seeing people arrested, labeled as sex offenders, and their entire lives being RUINED just because they chatted with the wrong person online.

[DCKit]

3. I detest the taint of entrapment, but he did more than "chat".

In spite of his alleged shyness.

[Hugabear]

4. You mean the jerking off?

I agree it's pretty classless. But you'd have to prove that the airman knew that the person he was chatting with was underage. And since it's obvious that he wasn't actually talking to an underage minor, then he wasn't jerking off for an underage minor.

People lie about their age online all the time. That's what makes it so scary.

[BR_Parkway]

6. Yeah, it's more of a mental crime than an actual one - I've always

wondered at the double standard -

if a guy fools around with a girl who is underage but he really has reason to think that's she's legal - he's still in trouble.

But if he doesn't something with someone who isn't really an underage girl but he thinks she is - he's still in trouble.

[frogcycle]

5. actually, it was in hand

that is the problem