The News Room [News Release]
Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-213-5162
Release Date: Friday, July 14, 2006
Internet deputies arrest 45-year-old Macomb Co. man who offered $32 for sex with 13-year-old
In a twist on the usual Internet child predator sting, Wayne County Sheriff's deputies have arrested a 45-year-old Sterling Heights man who not only wanted to have sex with an underage girl he met online, but was willing to pay her for it, according to Wayne County Sheriff Warren C. Evans.
On Wednesday afternoon, deputies with the Sheriff's Internet Crime Unit arrested Robert Knill, an Information Technology director for a local automotive supplier, at a meet spot in Macomb County. According to investigators, Knill initiated the meeting after only one brief chat with an undercover deputy on Wednesday.
Evans said that in this case, Knill, who is married with no children, offered $32 in cash to an undercover sheriff's deputy, who Krill believed to be a 13-year-old girl, in exchange for oral sex. Because of the offer of money, investigators are speaking to prosecutors about the possibility of bringing charges in addition to Illegal Use of the Internet & Child Sexually Abusive Behavior.
"Some cases take a while to develop, but this one came together very quickly,' Evans said. "The entire chat lasted only about two hours and right away Mr. Knill indicated he wanted to meet with our undercover officer." Evans said parents should be very concerned by this case because it shows how aggressively their children can be targeted by a sexual predator.
"The fact that the girl was offered money as an enticement is even more troubling because it shows how far some people will go to manipulate an underage girl," Evans said.
Investigators have seized Knill's computer and are analyzing it for evidence of his chat logs. Knillis being held at the Wayne County and will be arraigned Friday morning in 31st District Court.
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