A nurse practitioner from Macomb County, Michigan, is accused of trying to meet a teen for sex after messaging an official posing as the target.
“An FBI task force member who is also a Michigan State Police trooper said at 9:12 a.m. Aug. 4, he came across an add on a dating website that said the user was seeking, ‘straight, married, young and men in uniform’ for sexual activity, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday (Aug. 12),” per a Click on Detroit article published Monday.
The user also reportedly said he was searching for “young” individuals while sharing a KIK instant messenger account profile name.
The KIK app was similar to others such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. However, it was prone to hacking and “identity verification is non existent,” according to Family Zone.
“A popular young person’s social media app that can be joined anonymously creates an environment where online predators can easily exploit their victims,” the website read.
When the trooper messaged the KIK user the person reportedly claimed to be a 15-year-old boy. But officials said the person was eventually identified as 50-year-old Jigger Occena Garcia.
The man was reportedly a nurse practitioner linked to Detroit Medical Consultants Pc, and McLaren Oakland Hospital.
Per court papers, the officer claimed to be a 15-year-old boy and when Garcia reportedly asked to exchange numbers, the officer provided one.
Garcia also allegedly sent the officer a message identifying himself as a man named John who was 50-years-old.
In the span of a few days more than 1,000 messages were exchanged between them, according to law enforcement.
“Garcia told me in text messages that he was okay with my age (15 years old) and that he has a sexual interest in pubescent children,” per the criminal complaint.
Later, Garcia allegedly said he would meet him outside a Detroit bar to engage in sex, and according to the officer the agreement included Garcia bringing condoms and chicken sandwiches for the boy to eat.
After the man changed the meeting location to a different parking lot, Garcia was taken into custody once he arrived at the scene, according to court papers.
Garcia reportedly admitted he was meeting a 15-year-old boy for sex.
“The criminal complaint concludes that there’s probable cause Garcia committed coercion and enticement of a minor, including attempt,” the Click on Detroit article said.
Parents should know which apps their children used and take proper precautions, according to the United States Department of Justice.
“Kids and parents should stay alert—people aren’t always who they seem in online environments where identity is easy to fake,” the agency stated.
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