Last updated at 10:32 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28
An Anchorage man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to entice a 14-year-old for sex via an online personals website, and police say they’re concerned he may have other victims.
Police announced Wednesday they have charged 56-year-old Martin Baumann with one count of online enticement of a minor, a felony.
The investigation into Baumann began in May after the Anchorage Cyber Crimes Unit was alerted to messages between Baumann and his 14-year-old victim, according to a statement from police.
“Police intercepted information regarding a planned meeting between Baumann and the 14-year-old where Baumann intended to meet for the purposes of sex,” the statement read.
Baumann’s initial bail was set at $5,000 cash performance with a third-party custodian requirement, police said.
Citing the continued investigation, police spokeswoman Renee Oistad would not name the website Baumann used or explain how police learned of his contact with the victim, but she said they believe Baumann may have other victims. Anyone with information on Baumann’s activities or believes they are a victim is asked to contact Anchorage Police Detective Kim Trujillo by calling 907-786-8669.
Trujillo is part of the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, police said. The task force is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and is committed to finding and assisting in the prosecution of criminals in cases involving exploited children.
“This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education,” police wrote.
Trujillo and Sgt. Aaron Whitt, also on ICAC, say any child with access to the internet is at risk of coming into contact with predators. As technology evolves, so do criminals’ tactics, according to Whitt.
“They possibly represent themselves as another kid, as a child, and ultimately initiates a relationship if you will,” he explained in an interview. ”There are literally dozens, if not hundreds [of apps] that have come across our desks in investigations or reports that have been used and utilized to attempt to gain access to a child victim.”
Whitt said there are a number of ways criminals can victimize children. Some attempt to meet a child in person to sexually abuse them or worse. Others will attempt to trap a child in “sextortion,” Whitt said, a phrase used to describe a scheme where the perpetrator asks for a photo, video or information from a child that may be compromising, and then uses it to force the child into submission by threatening to show it to their friends and family. This often leads to demands for additional, often more revealing imagery that can be classified as child pornography, or even sexual acts.
“It’s extremely important that [parents] understand they have to be engaged, they have to employ accountability within their family,” Whitt said. “Any device that has access to the internet, parents need to be involved in those. They need to be looking at the emails, looking at the chats, and really, they need to have an open dialogue with their children so that there is a trust relationship so that they can help protect their children through that.”
KTVA 11′s Daniella Rivera contributed to this report.
