Online Predators

It’s not just Chat Rooms

It’s not just chat rooms that can be a threat children online, many game systems and computer games have interactive experiences either in their own chat rooms or live chats via headsets. Officers have been trying to monitor the chat rooms but the live games were you talk with teammates on headsets are still mostly unmonitored.

Although this chat seems harmless and most parents either isn’t aware that it even exists or disregard the safety issues it can pose a threat.

Take the recent arrest of Joshua R. Stetar who drove over 40 hours to Spokane, Washington to stalk a teenage girl he had been playing with on Halo on the X-Box 360. Live headset conversations between him and the girl had prompted him to google her name and find out enough information to find her. He drove by her house repeatedly and texted messaged her, “Tell the cops that I’m gonna rape you and your sister.”

The threat had her parents calling the police and Stetar was later arrested at a nearby hotel. The victims parents told police that he had sent several packages, flowers and had texted her so many times that they had to get a new number.

Stetar was released on a $10,000 bond.

One Response to “It’s not just Chat Rooms”

1. Beth Harris Says:
   January 18th, 2008 at 3:58 am

   Hello Ladybug,
   In response to your blog entry that sites the “recent arrest” of Joshua Stetar, I’d like to bring to your attention that the same young man has once again been arrested for stalking the SAME girl and her family. Here is a link that might help you. http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=7557736&nav=menu438_1

   I guess you’ll have to type the address into your address bar. On that page is also a link to Stetar’s MySpace Web page.

   I’m so angry that our Federal Government hasn’t made this a priority!!!

   Thank you for your time, and I do hope you have a great day!

   Beth

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