SANTA ROSA – Detectives with the Santa Rosa PD’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigations Team keep a watch of a variety of social media sites to try to prevent abductions and molestations before they happen.
In April of this year one of the detectives on one of the sites found a posting from someone wanting a relationship with a “young boi”. The detective communicated with the subject incognito, and asked what age the poster was interested in. He replied that he was looking for someone 13 years or older. The detective continued the contact as if he was 13, and participated with a series of online conversations that often became quite lewd. This led to an arrangement to meet up for a sexual encounter.
The meeting was set up for this Tuesday, May 13, at Summerfield Road and Wyoming Drive, at the Summerfield Healthcare building. But the man who arrived for the liaison, 38-year-old Kenneth Blanton Jr., instead saw detectives and Santa Rosa Police officers following, and fled the area. They caught up with him a mile away, at Yulupa and Sonoma Avenues, where he was arrested.
The Santa Rosa resident was charged with attempted lewd acts on a minor under 14, lewd online communications with a minor, and arriving at a location for purposes of a lewd act with a minor. His bail was set at $100,000, which he posted and was released pending his trial.
