A Green Country man accused of soliciting sex to a minor online is behind bars.
Ottawa County Sheriff Terry Durborow says 24-year-old Brandon Coleman offered to trade marijuana for sex with a girl he thought was younger than the age of 16.
Deputies say when he attempted to meet the girl he was loaded with a gun.
Undersheriff Bob Ernst tells Fox 23’s Abbie Alford a three-month investigation with the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led to Coleman’s arrest.
During those three months Coleman was known online as “dark_angel_74447” he would message the girl telling her she was sexy, he was naked and he wanted to have sex with the minor.
Now child advocates says parents still need to closely watch what their children are doing online.
Three years after Rebecca DeMauro’s daughter was propositioned online by a sexual predator the DeMauro’s are shocked to see how easily little girls can be targeted by predators.
Rebecca says some teen chatting sites like chatpit.com are welcome mats for molesters, rapists, “ Predators apply within," says Rebecca DeMauro.
Rebecca’s daughter Kristin now 13-years-old says too often she hears how her friends still chat online.
The thought of her friends giving out their name, address and phone number make her cringe.
Kristin says she learned not to be so trusting.
"I knew when he wouldn't tell me his name and he wouldn't tell me who he was. He said, 'oh I'm your friend.' And I thought, 'Mom warned me about these people,'" says Kristin DeMauro.
Authorities didn’t lock up Kristin’s online predator for years after that incident.
However, Detective Rodney Russo with the Tulsa Police Department Sex Crimes Unit says Kristin’s predator most likely didn’t single her out.
"Sexual predators are not just grooming that one person they are grooming a whole bunch of people. Sexual predators are looking for different ones. They are probably contacting four or five different ones and hoping one will give in," says Russo.
Child advocates say parents must be involved in their children’s lives well before online predators have the chance.
"If you have some sicko that's preying on your child. What do you do? You have to protect your kids. It's your job as a parent,” says Rebecca DeMauro.
Since 1999 The CyberTipline at National Center For Missing and Exploited Children reports tips regarding the online enticement for children sex acts has increases ten times.
Ottawa County Sheriff Officials say if you’ve talked to “dark_angel_74447” online you need to call authorities at (918) 542-2806.
