Michigan Man Arrested for Trying to Meet Up with 14-Year-Old Indiana Girl
A Michigan man is in police custody after trying to meet up with a 14-year-old Indiana girl for sex.
An undercover civilian group called Predator Catchers Indianapolis is credited for the discovery of a 42-year-old Cassopolis, Michigan man attempting to solicit sex through dating apps with what he believed to be a 14-year-old Granger, Indiana girl.
42-year-old Flemming Ryland was arrested on Friday, November 5, 2021, according to WSBT. He is charged with three felony counts of sex crimes against children after detectives reviewed phone conversations between Ryland and members of a group called Predator Catchers Indianapolis.
Ryland is accused of connecting with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl named Amy through dating apps. In actuality, Ryland was speaking with decoys of the civilian group who tries to catch would-be child predators.
Ryland sent multiple explicit messages to the decoy and even had several phone conversations with what he thought was a teen girl. Among those messages were photos of his genitalia.
In the exchanges with members of the group who posed as a teen girl, Ryland described sex acts he wanted to do with her, according to Yahoo.
Members of the civilian group set up a meeting at a restaurant on State Road 23 for October 20 and posted a video of their confrontation with Ryland that day about his contact with their decoy account.
During the video, St. Joseph County Indiana police officers arrived and talked to Ryland outside of the restaurant after learning of his intentions to meet a 14-year-old there for sex. All messages and photos collected by the civilian group were passed onto the police.
Flemming allegedly told investigators, “I don’t think anything really would have stopped me if we were to get intimate. I think maybe that would have happened had they not been here.”
If convicted, Ryland could face up to 12-years in prison.
41 Children Have Gone Missing in Michigan Since January 1, 2021