By Calvin Palmer
A pilot from Minnesota accused of solicitation of a minor asked the 12-year-old boy to send him a picture of him doing something like holding a sign with his name or wearing a certain color T-shirt, a district court in Harris County heard today.
Prosecutor Eric Devlin said that 28-year-old Steven Donald Anderson asked the boy to send the picture to ensure that he was not an undercover police officer.
Devlin did not reveal the nature of the photograph , a ploy that cyber crime investigators have seen in other places, but said it is the first time police have seen it used in Harris County.
“It causes us great concern,” Devlin said.
During Anderson’s arraignment this morning before District Judge Marc Carter, Devlin said Anderson had been sending sexually explicit text messages to the 12-year-old boy since the fall.
Anderson remains in Harris County Jail, in lieu of $200,000 bail.
The investigation began last week when the boy’s middle school teacher caught him sending text messages on his BlackBerry during class, officials said.
The teacher took the device and read some of the messages allegedly coming from Anderson and reported the incident to school authorities who notified the police.
“The teacher saved that kid,” said Sgt. Gary Spurger with the Harris County Precinct 4 constable’s computer crime unit. “She stepped up to the plate and took care of business.”
Anderson and the boy had been exchanging text messages since meeting on MySpace shortly after Halloween, investigators said.
With the consent of the boy’s parents, investigators assumed his identity Thursday to contact Anderson through the online account. They exchanged messages for about 30 minutes and confirmed Anderson would be arriving in Houston on Friday, officials said.
“He even told us what kind of car he was going to drive, which made it really easy,” Spurger said.
With the boy away from his home in northwest Harris County, almost a dozen deputies awaited Anderson’s arrival and arrested him when he showed up.
“He was pretty shocked,” said Spurger.
Investigators said Anderson denied any sexual interest in the boy, who he thought was 14. “He claimed he was coming here for a vacation,” Spurger said. “He just wanted to come visit his friend.”
An innocent explanation for Anderson’s trip to the Houston area seems unlikely say investigators, particularly after going through the text messages on the man’s cell phone.
“What could a 28-year-old professional airline pilot have in common with a 14-year-old?” Spurger said.
Anderson, of Shakopee, Minnesota, is a pilot for Mesaba Airlines, a regional airline affiliated with Northwest Airlines, which is now owned by Delta Airlines.
[Based on reports by the Houston Chronicle and Minneapolis Star Tribune.]
And they’re trying to keep cell phones out of public schools. I’m glad they caught the bastard.
This is a reminder to do a lot of talking with our children.