Post by chase123
Authorities in Texas on Wednesday charged a 42-year-old Houston woman with the online luring of a 16-year-old boy from Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
Their unlikely tryst at a bed-and-breakfast in Ontario cottage country caused panic last week, when Andrew Kane went missing, and his mother reported to police that he had a crippling addiction to the online video game World of Warcraft, and exchanged explicit messages with a woman he met through it.
He had left his house in the middle of the night just before New Year's Eve, leaving a note declaring his love and intention to be with the woman, Lauri Price.
Ms. Price, a middle-school teacher and mother of four, had travelled to Canada last January in an effort to meet Mr. Kane, according to Harris County Assistant District Attorney Eric Devlin. She was later warned by his mother to leave him alone, but the correspondence continued, even as Mr. Kane's parents sent him to counselling and took away his computer.
It includes many hundreds of messages, in which they discussed all variety of sexual encounters, with Ms. Price using language that Mr. Devlin described as "flowery."
"I can't say it made me blush," he said. "But I can tell you it was on the upper end of sexual graphic-ness."
He described Mr. Kane as "somewhat naive" and Ms. Price - known as Liliana in the World of Warcraft game - as the "driving force" in the discussions.
"I won't say stalking, but she was very persistent," he said.
Mr. Kane is reported to have been a devoted player of World of Warcraft. The game, and others like it, have repeatedly come under criticism because young players can become completely absorbed in playing them. Most notably, 15-year-old Brandon Crisp died in 2008 after he ran away from home in Barrie when his parents confiscated his online gaming system. He was addicted to Call of Duty 4.
Mr. Kane, meanwhile, appears to have been a willing participant in the relationship with Ms. Price, according to the messages, Mr. Devlin said. "He loves her. He's madly in love, which is not uncommon in these kinds of cases," he said.
When she came to Canada this time, she rented a car to pick Mr. Kane up at his house, and after a police bulletin went out the next day, they were spotted by an off-duty police officer at an Orillia, Ont., guesthouse, and later arrested, Mr. Devlin said.
They had sexual contact, Mr. Devlin said, but because Mr. Kane has reached the age of consent in Canada, which is 16, police determined no crime had occurred.
In Texas, however, that age is 17, making Mr. Kane a minor, and so, acting on a tip from his mother and with the co-operation of Canadian authorities, Ms. Price was arrested on-board her return flight shortly after it landed in Houston around midnight Tuesday.
"She knew full well how old he was by the time the relationship started," Mr. Devlin said.
She is charged with two counts of online solicitation of a minor, and one count of enticing a minor to leave lawful custody, with the alleged intent to commit felony sexual assault.
She remained in custody last night, but is expected to be released on $20,000 bond, fitted with an ankle monitor, and prohibited from using the Internet or contacting any child.
She has been removed from her teaching post, Mr. Devlin said.
Texas authorities are investigating whether there are other alleged victims.
SourceLucky bastard.......
Thoughts?