Parents Attend MySpace Information Forum
March 29, 2006 - Parents at Cardinal O'Hara Wednesday night will be getting tips on how to keep their kids safe on the Internet. And none too soon. We've got yet another case of a sexual predator using the Internet to snare a victim across state lines. This time a Philadelphia man who lured a New Jersey teenager into a sexual encounter.
Police say 30-year-old Marcus Whitfield found his alleged victim on the popular MySpace.com website.
They say he started up a relationship with a 15-year-old boy and they agreed to meet near the boy's Strafford Township, New Jersey home last August.
The two allegedly had sex in Whitfield's car and then later checked into a room at a motel in Galloway Township where, police say, they had more sexual encounters.
When the boy returned home late at night, his parents started asking questions.
Myspace.com is a website where kids can create their own web pages. They're supposed to be at least 18-years-old, but many lie about their ages.
They compose elaborate profiles of themselves, sometimes including provocative pictures.
Anyone can view them, and many of the kids can be contacted online.
Police arrested Whitfield Monday after, they say, he confessed to luring the boy into a sexual relationship.
Whitfield lives in this house in Philadelphia's Frankford section.
Neighbors say he's a nice guy who spent a lot of time outside fixing cars.
Ethel Butler says the last time she spoke to Whitfield he was planning a new career.
Police say the computers have gotten him into deep trouble.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese has been trying to educate parents about predators on line and has been holding a series of seminars like this one at St. Matthews Monday night.
A similar seminar will be held here at Cardinal O'Hara tonight. Whitfield, in the meantime, won't be back online anytime soon. He's being held in the Ocean County jail on $175,000 bail, awaiting hearings in Ocean and Atlantic Counties next week.
Police say 30-year-old Marcus Whitfield found his alleged victim on the popular MySpace.com website.
They say he started up a relationship with a 15-year-old boy and they agreed to meet near the boy's Strafford Township, New Jersey home last August.
The two allegedly had sex in Whitfield's car and then later checked into a room at a motel in Galloway Township where, police say, they had more sexual encounters.
When the boy returned home late at night, his parents started asking questions.
Myspace.com is a website where kids can create their own web pages. They're supposed to be at least 18-years-old, but many lie about their ages.
They compose elaborate profiles of themselves, sometimes including provocative pictures.
Anyone can view them, and many of the kids can be contacted online.
Police arrested Whitfield Monday after, they say, he confessed to luring the boy into a sexual relationship.
Whitfield lives in this house in Philadelphia's Frankford section.
Neighbors say he's a nice guy who spent a lot of time outside fixing cars.
Ethel Butler says the last time she spoke to Whitfield he was planning a new career.
Police say the computers have gotten him into deep trouble.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese has been trying to educate parents about predators on line and has been holding a series of seminars like this one at St. Matthews Monday night.
A similar seminar will be held here at Cardinal O'Hara tonight. Whitfield, in the meantime, won't be back online anytime soon. He's being held in the Ocean County jail on $175,000 bail, awaiting hearings in Ocean and Atlantic Counties next week.
posted by idtics at 12:31 AM
3 Comments:
Interesting, I haven't heard of the site being used for this kind of marketing yet. It looks like it should prove very worthwhile due to MySpace's popularity.
Sorry.. the previous comment was meant for the previous post. I do apologize!
it doesn't matter
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