DRAPER — Police have arrested and charged a man they believe posed as a 16-year-old in order to lure young girls he met on the Internet for sexual encounters.
Jose A. Merino, 36, was met by police officers and immediately taken into custody Wednesday afternoon when he got off work for the day, said Draper Police Sgt. Gerry Allred.
"Unfortunately, we didn't get to him in time and we fear there may be more victims out there," Allred said.
Merino was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with three counts of rape of a child, all first-degree felonies, six counts of sodomy upon a child, all first-degree felonies and four counts of sexual abuse of a child, all second-degree felonies. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held on a cash-only $500,000 bail.
He posted a profile on the popular Web networking program, MySpace.com, where his friends know him as "Mike." Police are checking on his other associations and are unsure if that is where he met the alleged victim; they do know the two met in an Internet chat room.
So far, all of the alleged behavior occurred with one girl.
Evidence, however, indicates Merino is very skilled at manipulating young girls into thinking he is genuinely interested in them, police said. They are confident the girl is not the only victim.
"Everything about him matches the profile of an Internet predator," Allred said.
He said police became aware of Merino's activities only after he allegedly had several encounters with a young Draper girl.
Parents of the 13-year-old notified police when they found out their daughter had been associating with the man for at least two months. Allred said the girl's friends knew about her relationship with the "older man" and were concerned.
Police believe the young girl is not Merino's only victim and Allred encouraged parents to be on a constant vigil and ask children where they've been and who they've been with. Anyone who suspects their child or friend is in danger is asked to call police.
"This is becoming so out of hand, you really need to know exactly what your kids are doing, and who they are talking to online," he said. He said children who use the Internet should also be extremely cautious.
"No matter how confident you are through your conversations with the people you meet online, do not agree to meet them under any circumstances," Allred said.
Merino's arrest was only the third of its kind for Draper police in the three years they've been involved in addressing Internet crimes, but Allred said it's an upward trend they're taking very seriously.
Police found a laptop computer in Merino's car and are attempting to obtain a search warrant to go through it. Allred said there was no evidence the alleged online activities occurred in the man's West Jordan home, where he lives with his wife and young children.
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com