Sting nabs sex offender after mom’s tip
Apr 16, 2012, 6:32 AM | Updated: 8:58 am
A mom’s diligence in observing what her child was up to
online helped authorities catch a level two Snohomish sex
offender.
Lieutenant Ron Mead with the State Patrol says they
arrested 35-year-old Joel Alexander Sunday when he showed
up in a park bathroom expecting to meet an 11-year-old.
The mother of the 11-year-old boy alerted authorities
after she saw some inappropriate comments posted on his
facebook page.
“One of our detectives assumed the undercover identity of
a now 11-year-old boy and over the course of the past
month, the suspect engaged in conduct and contact, which
was very graphic and involved the sending of child
pornography,” said Mead.
Mead gives credit to the mother for keeping tabs on her
son’s activity online.
“Some great detective work went into this, but most
importantly credit has got to go out to the mother’s
alertness, monitoring what her child was doing on the
internet.”
Alexander was booked into Grays Harbor County Jail with no
bail.
