OMG. This is from my local newspaper!
Police are warning teens and parents to be wary of sexual predators who use social networking sites such as Facebook after an Abbotsford man was charged with a sex crime involving a 14-year-old boy.
Jeffrey Goddard, 20, is charged with invitation to sexual touching. He was released on conditions, including restrictions on being around children and using the Internet, said Abbotsford police spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald.Goddard, who lists himself as lead vocals for a country-rock band and a member of a Justin Bieber fan group on his Facebook page, said he likes “talking on the computer,” among other hobbies.
MacDonald said the victim, also from Abbotsford, was contacted through Facebook, phone calls and in-person encounters.
Police first received a formal complaint about an adult posing as a police officer on Facebook and inviting 13-to-15-year-olds on a ridealong in a police vehicle, instructing them to meet him on the road and not to call the police station.
There had also been reports dating back to March that an older person was making contact with teens online, MacDonald said.
Further investigation led police to the 14-year-old and the allegations against Goddard.
MacDonald said parents and others need to be wary of the dangers of online social networking sites for children.
He said police “have evidence that adults inside and outside the community [of Abbotsford] have created an alternative or bogus persona” and are using those fake personas to engage in sexually-explicit conversations to hook their target.
“[Networks] offer a lot of benefits, but it’s a double-edged sword and there are dangers as well as benefits,” MacDonald said.
Police are looking for other victims and are asking others who have had similar encounters to contact them.
THE PROVINCE
This is so sick!!
Also read: Why you should watch out for Justin Bieber posers!!
