A West Virginia man is in custody after an undercover sting online that led him to Barracks Road in Charlottesville to meet a 14-year-old girl.
Anthony Ryan Bates, 46, from Martinsburg, W.Va., is being held at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail following his arrest on Friday.
According to the Charlottesville Police Department, Bates began chatting online with a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl on Thursday. Bates arranged to meet the girl in Charlottesville, allegedly to engage in sexual activity.
On Friday, he was apprehended in the parking lot of the Barracks Road Shopping Center, a predetermined location that Bates agreed to for the meeting.
Bates was taken into custody without incident.
He has been charged with the following:
- One count of §18.2-374.3 (B) – Use of Communications Systems While Taking Indecent Liberties with a Minor
- Two counts of §18.2-374.3 (C) – Use of Communications Systems for Solicitation of a Minor.
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Crystal Graham
