Crime & Safety
Deputies: Man Tried to Meet Girl, 14, For Sex
An undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl online was solicited by a 35-year-old Clearwater man, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
A Clearwater man is charged with arranging to have sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl he met online, deputies said Tuesday.
Robert Mark Hall, 35, of 6250 Roosevelt Blvd., became the subject of an investigation last month after he posted a local ad on Craigslist, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Hall made contact online with an undercover detective posing as a teenage girl.
"Over the course of a two week period, Hall sent inappropriate messages to the
undercover detective soliciting sexual favors," a sheriff's office spokesperson said in a media release.
Find out what's happening in Clearwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On Monday, Hall made arrangements to meet the girl at a local park, where detectives arrested him and charged him with traveling to meet a minor and prohibited use of a computer service.
During the investigation, Hall admitted to the allegations made against him, according to the sheriff's office.
Find out what's happening in Clearwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Hall, who is unemployed, was booked into Pinellas County Jail on $15,000 bond.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.