OK, This Is a Problem

[Tecumsehsbones]

Frederick Co. man accused of sexual solicitation of a minor​

Abigail Constantino
May 10, 2023

A Frederick County, Maryland, man is accused of inappropriately chatting with who he thought was a child and requesting to meet in person.

Maryland State Police arrested Michael Vance Culpepper, 55, of Walkersville, on a charge of sexual solicitation of a minor.

In an undercover online investigation conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Culpepper was led to believe he was talking to an underage girl.

On April 13, when he asked to meet in person, instead of meeting a 13-year-old girl, Culpepper instead encountered a member of the task force, a Maryland State Police news release said.

When Culpepper arrived Monday afternoon in Anne Arundel County at the agreed-upon location, he was arrested by Maryland State Police with help from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.

Article

And here's the problem. He never solicited a minor.

Is it illegal to buy powdered sugar, thinking it's cocaine? Should it be?

 

[Ron in Regina]

…And here's the problem. He never solicited a minor.​

Is it illegal to buy powdered sugar, thinking it's cocaine? Should it be?

Oh…tough question. This Michael Vance Culpepper, 55, of Walkersville, is a Dirtbag that “Thought” he was going to pull a Muhammad…but only found adult police officers where he thought he’d find a 13yr old girl. In this case the Police potentially prevented a child from being sexually assaulted….but the child never existed.

Culpepper is a predator who thought he was preying on a child. Damn…but in this case the child never existed, but some other child got to actually remain a child due to the action of the police.

My gut says Culpepper should be handcuffed to the ball hitch on a truck and driven around the city…& maybe some highways, but the child he was supposedly meeting didn’t exist…so Culpepper didn’t actually solicit a child like he thought he was doing…this time.

For the protection of the Individual, he didn’t actually solicit a child this time, but for the protection of Society, he should be removed from all access to any and all children.

My Head (if emotions are removed) he said he wasn’t allowed to Actually commit the crime this time (thankfully), but my heart says he attempted something that is about as bad as it could possibly get, robbing a child of their childhood that is.

If it was decided that this man did not commit a crime “directly” it should open the door to forensically auditing his life (all electronic communication devices, etc…) to see if there are other instances of this happening with actual victims, and he should be stepped on heavily for any others.

I need to think further upon not only this one but other entrapment situations and their legal/moral/ethical implications. This is a really slippery debate question that I will need to self debate further. My initial reaction is to go with my gut & not my head…but legally I’m not sure if that’s the correct reaction now. I will have to come back to this one with an answer once I mull it over and chew on it for a while.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Ya get the strangest things in American law.

We had a case where a guy was caught smuggling U.S. currency into the U.S. The prosecutor tried to hem him up, but the judge pointed out that there's no law against bringing U.S. currency into the U.S. The prosecutor actually advanced the theory that since the defendant THOUGHT he was breaking the law, he should be punished.

The judge, fortunately, disagreed.

I know, that's kinda different, but related. Is the intent to commit a crime enough, if the act, successfully completed, would not be a crime? Let's say the cops went all the way through with M Culpepper. He basically woulda ended up having sex in a sleazy motel room with a big, ugly state trooper.

OK, that's kinda disgusting, but not actually a crime.

Certainly I'd favor investigating M Culpepper, and I'd say there's a pretty good case here to support a search warrant to seize his computer and search his residence for kiddie porn. But I'm not so sure about punishing him for a crime he didn't commit, however much he might have tried.

As I said, an analogy would be buying some "cocaine" from an undercover cop who sells you powdered sugar. Is the intent to possess cocaine a crime? Should it be?

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Would it have worked better if they had a 13 year old girl to help them? He shows up and interacts with this girl that may help bridge the gap. Of course finding volunteers for this is problematic.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Would it have worked better if they had a 13 year old girl to help them? He shows up and interacts with this girl that may help bridge the gap. Of course finding volunteers for this is problematic.

Pay 'em and the State Police would probably be stunned at the number of 13-year-old girls who'd be completely comfortable, and even amused, to provide phone/text sex and promises of meetings to old pervs.

 

[55Mercury]

recently watched a movie about an AI girl they used to nail these online predators with.

Artifice Girl

not a bad flick

 

[petros]

And here's the problem. He never solicited a minor.

Is it illegal to buy powdered sugar, thinking it's cocaine? Should it be?

Intent. That's it, thats all.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Intent. That's it, thats all.

The law disagrees with you.

 

[petros]

It does? So intent to solicite a minor isn't an offence and why this guy was charged was just being mean?

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

It does? So intent to solicite a minor isn't an offence and why this guy was charged was just being mean?

Soliciting a minor. Who wasn't a minor. Hence the thread.

Hope that helped.

 

[petros]

Intent is why he was charged. It's not rocket pizza.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Intent is why he was charged. It's not rocket pizza.

The actus reus was asking "her" to meet with him.

It's not farmboy geology.

 

[petros]

The actus reus was asking "her" to meet with him.

It's not farmboy geology.

Doesn't matter. It's the intent.

When Is It a Crime to Talk to a Minor?

It is not a crime to speak to a minor, but if you contact or communicate with a minor with the intent to commit a crime, you could face criminal charges.

www.wksexcrimes.com

 

[Hoof Hearted]

This thread reminds me a bit of the Flintstones Gravel Berry Pie King episode.

Fred is selling his gravel berry pie by the side of the road when a police officer pulls up and charges him for selling his pies without a license. Then Fred starts laughing and says..."You can't charge me Officer, I haven't sold one pie all day!" Then he starts crying cause he sold no pies.

I really think this episode is apropos to the thread.

 

[petros]

This thread reminds me a bit of the Flintstones Gravel Berry Pie King episode.

Fred is selling his gravel berry pie by the side of the road when a police officer pulls up and charges him for selling his pies without a license. Then Fred starts laughing and says..."You can't charge me Officer, I haven't sold one pie all day!" Then he starts crying cause he sold no pies.

I really think this episode is apropos to the thread.

View attachment 18152

Intent.

Hot n Ready!