A 55-year-old Barefoot Bay man was arrested after engaging in an online conversation with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Police say Richard Kwolek engaged in an online conversation with the undercover detective on a social networking site.
The detective told Kwolek several times that she was only 14. However, he knowingly communicated with “the minor,” sending sexually explicit images and instigating sexually explicit conversations, the arrest warrant says.
Kwolek was charged with the following:
- One count of criminal use of a two-way communication device
- Four counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor
- One count use of a computer to solicit a child for sex
Deputies picked him up in Vero Beach and transported to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, where he was released on a $6,000 bond.
The arrest was part of a sting operation conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives arrested 30 people during an investigation that lasted two weeks. The investigation focused on sexual predators who target children.
Undercover detectives investigated those who prey upon to meet children for unlawful sexual activity. Some of the suspects were willing to travel to meet children.
