An Arizona school principal allegedly tried to convince a 12-year-old girl to take nude photos and have sex with him.
Joseph Kinney was caught using the Whisper app, which allows users to talk to other users anonymously, multiple US media outlets reported. The 42-year-old thought he was talking to a 10-year-old girl, but he was actually talking to an undercover agent posing as a minor, according to documents obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix.
Last July, Mr. Kinney began the conversation by suggesting that she get “comfortable in bed” and undress.
The agent, who was still in her role as a young girl, specifically told her that this message was strange and that “she was only 12 years old.”
“I don’t mind your age,” he replied.
The discussion reached another level when the principal asked her for nude photos. He also offered to “rescue” her from her grandparents’ house to take her to his house and have “sexual relations” with her, according to the newspaper. Arizona Republic.
“Stupid and shameful”
Authorities found his IP address and arrested him.
The alleged pedophile reportedly admitted to police that he had spoken to “several women in Whisper who claimed to be minors.”
The principal thought they were lying and that they were adults who enjoyed this type of “fantasy.”
“Kinney recalls a woman telling him she was nine years old, but her photo didn’t look like a nine-year-old, so he assumed she was older,” investigators said.
The man said he felt “stupid and ashamed of his decisions.” He maintained that he had “never engaged in sexual acts with a child.”
He was charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation and was held on $60,000 bail (C$81,075). If released, he will be required to wear a monitoring bracelet. He will not be allowed to speak to a minor or go online.
