Entrapped By A College Student?

When you hear about crimes, it is usually through the nightly news. The stories all start the same, usually with a headline that gets your attention and then with a picture of the mugshot. If it is a sex crime, everyone assumes guilt. However, you probably never think you will need a Los Angeles sex crime defense attorney.

At Okabe & Haushalter, we know how scary it can be to end up on the other side of the accusations. Let our knowledgeable and experienced team get to work on your behalf so you can get back to living your life.

What happened here?

Can one college student’s vendetta and deception entrap another person?

We ask that because of a recent case in which a California college student used a gender-swapping filter on Snapchat to pretend he was an underage girl.

The student, only known by Ethan, says that he had a friend who was molested as a child and “I was just looking to get someone.”

How did he do this?

1. He set up a fake account on Tinder as a 19-year-old female named Esther. The profile photo for the Tinder account was made using Snapchat’s gender-swap ability. A man, later identified as San Mateo Police Officer Robert Davies, began talking to “Esther.”
2. The two switched to messaging app Kik and continued their conversation. It was there that “Esther” said she was actually 16 years old. Allegedly, the officer said that was fine.
3. They continued to message on Kik and Snapchat where Ethan says the conversations became explicit.
4. Ethan turned the information over to Crime Stoppers. Police arrested Davies for communicating with a minor with the intention of engaging in sexual activity.

What is at stake?

If this story is true, and Ethan is to be believed, then we recognize that Officer Davies should have stopped talking to “Esther” when he discovered she was 16. However, we need you to consider this – a college student set up multiple fake accounts to trap someone based on his own sense of justice. This was not conducted by trained law enforcement personnel and has the potential to put Officer Davies in prison. He could be required to register as a sex offender for life – for talking to a 20-year-old college student.

We are ready to help with your case

If you or someone you love has been charged with a sex crime or with possessing child pornography, please seek legal assistance immediately. With cases like this, timeframes are important. The public has already formed their opinion of guilt, but we will work to ensure that it is not the final outcome. At Okabe & Haushalter, we have the experience you need to successfully fight these charges. Our team will get to the bottom of what happened so we can get your charges reduced or dismisses altogether. If you need a Los Angeles sex crime attorney, you can contact us today by calling at 310-430-7799 for a free consultation.