Police: Predator targeted teen websites

Police: Predator targeted teen websites

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By Kiersten Throndsen

He called himself "Shadow" and "Jadedwasted."  He targeted teen websites and then police say "Shadow" laid his trap.

Caldwell police arrest a man they say had sex with at least two girls under the age of 16 and they say that predator used a website detectives didn't know about.
   
First Myspace, then Facebook, now Myyearbook.com, the list of websites teens use is growing and police say so is the number of potential on-line predators.

"He had over 500 contacts, 500 people listed as friends and 90 percent of them were under the age of 18, females who were in the Treasure Valley," said Bill Crawford, a detective with the Caldwell Police Department.

On Friday Caldwell police arrested 29-year-old Warren Nanney.  He faces one felony count of possessing sexually explicit pictures of a 14 and 15-year-old girl.
    
He found the girls on myyearbook.com, a website detectives say they didn't know about but one they say targets high school age kids.

"Everybody lists their high school where they go to," said Crawford. 

"Technology is always changing and we're constantly getting training, spending a lot of time on the computer," said Jim Kouril, with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

In January Idaho launched "ICAC."  Their job: looking at social networking sites, like Facebook.com and myyearbook.com and conducting undercover stings to help nab on-line predators.
    
Kouril says while they've had some success mom and dad need to help and some parents agree. 
 
"The computer's always been in the living room," said one Boise mom of three.

"We just don't let them go on line," said another Boise mom.

But Detective Crawford says allow it or not some kids will find ways to get on-line, but it's the information they share with others that needs to be monitored.

"If you're going to get on Myspace.com or one of these sites why can't you be somebody you're not? This guy pretended he was a 16-year-old boy now he's a 29-year-old creep," said Crawford.

Crawford says Nanney could be facing more charges.

To help parents keep on top of teenage web lingo the Idaho Attorney General's Office has put together an on-line dictionary of all the abbreviations and slang used over the Internet.

Click here: http://www2.state.id.us/ag/protecteens/InternetLingoDictionary.pdf
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