Man charged for rape can also be charged for enticement

25-year-old Brayan Arteaga is being charged for statutory rape in the second degree for allegedly raping a 14-year old girl.

According to the probable cause statement, the alleged victim had been talking to Arteaga online for several months before Arteaga picked the girl up on Sept. 10 and took her to a hotel on the 900 block of Vandiver Drive.

According to Missouri law, a person 21 years or older cannot persuade, coax, or entice someone younger than 15 via the internet or any electronic communication.

Tracy Perkins, detective in Cyber Task Force at Boone County Sheriff’s department, said the description of the events in the probable cause statement is enticement, which would add at least five more years of jail time if Arteaga is found guilty.

Perkins said online predators will add multiple teens as friends until one of them accepts their requests. She said they will talk to the teens over social media and try to gain their trust. Once they do, the predators will ask for nude photos from the kids or ask to meet in person, according to Perkins.

Here is some data from the Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force during the state’s fiscal year 2016.

Perkins said parents need to set rules for their children with social media and to monitor what apps they use. She said kids need to stop adding people they don’t know on social media.