CLEARLAKE — An alleged sexual predator was arrested by detectives with the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) Major Crimes Unit during an undercover operation.
A concerned parent contacted the LCSO after learning that a man contacted his 15-year-old daughter on Facebook, according to LCSO Sgt. Steve Brooks.
The man allegedly sent text messages to the minor, telling her that he wanted to have sex with her.
LCSO reported the girl sent a text message to the suspect informing him that she was 15 and did not wish to have any contact with him.
The man allegedly attempted to contact her again after she told him to stop.
Detectives launched an investigation and were able to monitor the text messages being sent from the suspect, who was identified as Jason James Russell, 29, of Clearlake.
On Thursday detectives conducted an undercover operation.
Posing as the female minor, detectives allegedly continued trading text messages with the suspect and agreed to meet him at Austin Park in Clearlake.
An LCSO press release stated that the suspect”s intention was to have sex with the minor and had offered to pay for the sexual services. At approximately 2:45 p.m., Russell arrived at Austin Park and was arrested after a short foot pursuit.
The LCSO stated that Russell provided a statement saying he looked for underage girls on Facebook. Using explicit language he would then sexually proposition them. Russell allegedly admitted that he had propositioned several other minor girls while using Facebook.
Russell was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on felony charges of lewd act on a child younger than 16, contact a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense, arranging meeting with a minor to commit a sex offense, go to the arranged meeting to commit a sex offense, annoy or molest a child, solicit prostitution and probation violation. LCSO suggests that parents monitor social networking websites.
