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Littleton student, 17, charged with using Internet to solicit a child


LITTLETON – A high school senior who had graphic Internet chats with someone he thought was a 14-year-old now faces criminal charges after the correspondent turned out to be a police detective.

Ryan Taber, 17, of Littleton is free on $5,000 personal recognizance after his arrest last week and will be arraigned next month on a charge of using the Internet to "seduce, solicit, lure or entice" a child to commit the offense of lewdness or indecent exposure.

As part of the bail conditions, Taber, who is also a cashier at a local grocery store, is not allowed to be in contact with anyone under 17, which precludes him from attending classes. He is also not allowed to use a computer that has Internet access.

A motion has been filed by his attorney, Mark Sisti, to amend the bail conditions, so that he can attend classes at Littleton High School and graduate.

SAU 84 Superintendent Dorothy Danforth said steps will be taken to ensure Taber can graduate by making sure he is given schoolwork to complete at home and providing tutoring if necessary.

If the motion to amend the bail conditions is approved, she said, "We'll take it day by day and see what the next steps will be to protect" the students.

According to court papers, which include more than 25 pages of chat room and instant message dialogue, Taber struck up an online conversation with "brad dean," who described himself as a 14-year-old boy in late January but who was really Keene police Detective James McLaughlin.

Over the next two months, the two had extensive and graphic online chats and e-mail exchanges that resulted in plans for the two to meet on March 20 in a men's changing room at the Littleton Wal-Mart. But the night before, Taber, who called himself "john t" online, called it off after he had to go car shopping with his mother.

Danforth said school officials are "always on alert as to what students are doing in school" and monitor computer time.

"We're hoping that students begin to understand that this is not something that's a joke," she said. "It's serious."

Littleton High School has a school resource officer, she said, who works with parents and students to help them "understand the severity" of misusing the Internet.

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akb112211 said:
couldn't agree more rodfarva. So what we actually have is an adult having "graphic internet chats" with a 17yo minor. He posed as a minor in order to entice a minor.
People in law enforcement are so high on their power trips they don't even see the true nature of their own actions.
This type of shit just makes me sick.

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rodfarva said:
You know, i hate this bull shit. talk about blurring the lines..

First i call it entrapment. If the decoy didn't facilitate the interaction would this person be talking to some one else? If no, the cop set this kid up. At 17 you are not judged mature enough to have many legal liabilities anyways. If he is a pedophile why isn't he allowed to enter a legal contract, or even buy a fucking pack of cigarettes. Maybe its just me who was dating a 14 year old when i was 17.

I want to point out that we were LESS than 3 years apart, she turned 15 two days after i turned 17 so we basically were only 2 years apart.

Then lastly, can you picture this going down in a devious manor? I'm afraid that these chats didn't start bad, but instead seemed like genuine emotion-altering encounters associated with forming a relationship. Lets say the decoy establishes this kid is a mark by telling him he is gay and interested, then proceeds to talk about common interests for 8 chat hours over 2 weeks, then when feelings develop for the decoy by the JUVENILE                  he starts to talk about sex and the cop feeds him with some raunchy adult erotica.
Now you have a FUCKING COP who seduces a young boy, psychologically manipulates him for a couple weeks, then goads him into incriminating himself by committing a crime himself. That crime being a full grown adult decoy involving himself in suggestive conversation with a minor, potentially enlightening him to sex acts he never knew or thought about.

This is shamefull.

And to think what a great thing this is in terms of what the to catch a predator show does sometimes. I know they cross the line to, but they are taking down some real assholes. If your 25 and your trying to fuck a 14 year old boy (or girl) your a shit head, no doubt. However a short four years later it is not a problem for 29 and 18. If these two really had 'love' between them they could be reasonably expected to wait on carrying out a full blown sexual relationship.

These assholes have taken a highly effective and positive tool and ruined it. I seriously question motives behind this precedent setting type of case.

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