Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places, Turning a Blind Eye
By: Houston Criminal Defense Attorney John Floyd and
Paralegal Billy Sinclair
SexSearch is an “online adult dating service.” It charges a fee to assist its paid members in their search of sexual encounters. An Ohio gentleman identified only as John Doe became a “Gold Member” of SexSearch in October 2005 for a fee of $29.95 per month. John Doe accepted the “Terms and Conditions” of the website which included a “promise” that he was at least 18 years of age.
Jane Roe was also a “Gold Member” of SexSearch in October 2005. She had likewise agreed to the “Terms and Conditions” of the website, attesting that she was at least 18 years of age. In fact, she stated in her “profile” that she was born on June 15, 1987.
John Doe and Jane Roe met online through SexSearch. Jane Roe was apparently a generous spirit. She wanted sexual adventures. That’s why she paid SexSearch the $29.95 Gold Member fee. She apparently seized the opportunity to invite John Doe to her home on November 15, 2005. The Ohio couple engaged in mutually agreeable sex on three occasions after that first invitation.
But at some point in December 2005, for some reason, Jane Roe notified the local police that she was only fourteen years of age and had been sexually involved with the older John Doe. Faced with this serious criminal threat to social order, the local police on December 30, 2005 armored up, rushed to John Doe’s home, surrounded it, and demanded that the criminal menace surrender immediately. (more…)
