INTERNET CHAT LEADS TO ARREST VALLEY MAN ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED CHILD RAPE

Section: THE REGION, June 8, 1999
Page: B1
Author: Tracy Ellig Staff writer

Infobox: This sidebar appeared with the story:

PRECAUTIONS

Safe surfing

Spokane police are creating computer mouse pads with ``online safety rules'' printed on them to distribute free of charge through schools.

``The rules include not giving out any personal information and reporting any questionable suggestions to parents or counselors,'' Detective Jerry Keller said. ``It also involves an agreement to never meet anyone through the Internet without parents' permission.''

The pads also will include information about how to report Internet contacts in which someone tries to lure a child. Police are hoping to find a corporate sponsor for the project.

Donald T. Townsend showed up at a downtown Spokane hotel Friday night looking for sex with a 13-year-old girl he met through the Internet, police say.

He knocked at the hotel room door, where he had arranged to meet the girl. A man answered and asked Townsend whom he was looking for. Townsend gave the name of his 13-year-old Internet liaison.
``Come on in,'' said Spokane police detective Jerry Keller, who, with three other detectives, arrested the 25-year-old Spokane Valley man for second-degree attempted child rape a few moments later.

``I think he probably thought this girl had invited others for a group thing and he was more than happy to participate in that,'' Keller said.

The arrest came after Keller was contacted in late May by a concerned citizen in the Spokane area who had met Townsend in an Internet chat room and then swapped e-mails with him. ``I'm not sure what the topic of the chat room was,'' Keller said.

``In those conversations, he said he was looking for young girls to have sex with and asked if they had any pictures of child pornography,'' Keller said.

Townsend also sent the citizen, whose name wasn't released, a pornographic photo of a young girl, which resulted in Townsend being booked for dealing in child porn and possession of child pornography on top of the allegation of attempted rape. Keller expects Townsend, who lives at 10811 E. Third, to be charged with the crimes today.

After being provided with Townsend's e-mail address and a chat room name by the citizen who had exchanged messages with him, Keller started having conversations with the man.

``I went in posing as a 13-year-old girl,'' Keller said. ``I started an e-mail chat with him, which ended up in live chat. After a few hellos, how-are-yous and how-old-are-yous, he proceeded to ask me if I wanted a sexual relationship,'' Keller said.

Townsend originally suggested they meet in an unoccupied building downtown to which he had a key. Keller, posing as the girl, suggested a hotel.

While many of the conversations people have on the Internet are anonymous, Keller was able to find out who Townsend was before he arrested him at the motel. Townsend's e-mail address contained his real name.

Police obtained a search warrant for Townsend's home and confiscated his personal computer.

Detectives also want to talk to any other minors who may have had contact with Townsend over the Internet. They or their parents should call Crime Check at 456-2233.

``This happens more often than most parents believe,'' Keller said. ``It's a serious problem in Spokane and a threat to every child who has access to the Internet.''

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