CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An undercover operation conducted by detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit has led to the arrest of a Clearlake man who is alleged to have sent texts and Facebook messages in an effort to solicit sex from a teenage girl.
Jason James Russell, 29, was arrested Thursday afternoon on felony charges of lewd act on a child under 16 years of age, contact a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense, arrange meeting with a minor to commit a sex offense, go to the arranged meeting to commit a sex offense, annoy or molest a child, solicit prostitution and probation violation.
Sgt. Steve Brooks said a concerned parent contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office after learning that Russell had contacted his 15-year-old daughter on Facebook.
Russell is alleged to have texted the minor, telling her that he wanted to have sex with her. She sent a text message to the suspect, informing him that she was only 15 years old and did not wish to have any contact with him. The suspect attempted to contact her again after she told him to stop, Brooks said.
Brooks said detectives launched an investigation and were able to monitor the text messages being sent from the suspect, who they identified as Russell.
On Thursday detectives conducted an undercover operation, Brooks said.
Posing as the female minor, detectives continued texting with the suspect and agreed to meet with Russell at Austin Park in Clearlake. Brooks said Russell allegedly intended to have sex with the minor and had offered to pay for the sexual services.
At 2:45 p.m. Thursday Russell arrived at Austin Park in Clearlake and was arrested after a short foot pursuit, Brooks said.
Russell provided a statement that he would look for underage females on Facebook, Brooks said. Using explicit language he would then sexually proposition them.
Russell admitted that he had propositioned several other female juveniles while using Facebook, according to Brooks.
Russell was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on the charges, and is being held without bail due to a probation violation, according to jail records.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office encourages parents to monitor social networking sites their children frequent. Sexual predators often use these sites to target their victims.
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