A woman was arrested in Loveland, and pleaded guilty to attempt to commit Extortion – C.R.S. 18-3-207, in a bizarre story involving pedophiles and a young child.
Robbing and Kidnapping from a Pedophile
The woman and her boyfriend had a scheme: They posted messages online in order to contact men who were willing to sell their children for sex. They eventually were contacted by a man who they believed was a sexual predator, and arranged to meet him and his 6-year-old daughter (who he had offered for sex over the internet) at a motel. Their plan: to rob the pedophile, and blackmail him into giving them his daughter, who they wished to raise the child as their own. Unfortunately for their peculiar plan, the predator was actually an undercover cop, who was in a sting operation to catch a sex offender attempting to commit Sexual Assault on a Child – C.R.S. 18-3-405. The police arrived instead of their intended target, and they were arrested rather than making off with money and a child they wished to raise as their own.
Sting Operations Held by Police in Colorado for Enticement of a Child
As in this case, the police employ sting operations to entrap people in Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park. They often use the internet to pose as underage girls, or someone who is willing to pimp out their child. When the target arrives, they are arrested. Sting operations in Larimer County often end in charges for Enticement of a Child – C.R.S. 18-3-305, which occurs when a person invites or persuades a child to meet them with the intent to commit sexual assault or unlawful sexual contact. The consequences for a conviction of a sex offense are harsh: often, you are required to register as a sex offender, and undergo sex offender treatment as overseen by the Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB).
Because she wasn’t actually targeting the man for a sexual purpose, the woman was charged with attempted kidnapping, attempted robbery, and attempt to commit extortion. After her plea, she was sentenced to 120 hours of community service, treatment for mental health, and four years of supervised probation. She is also not allowed to contact the man with whom she concocted the plan.