The case against former NASCAR spokesman Richard “Chip” Williams, arrested last week in an Internet child-predator sting, could involve more than 50 children, reports the Charlotte Observer. Williams’ attorney, Locke Clifford, responded: “Hogwash.”
It’s not unusual for such cases to involve multiple victims, said Janis Wolak of the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center. She said some studies show that sex offenders with a strong preference for children from specific age groups will often prove to be highly motivated and have multiple victims. She said that about one in five children receive sexual solicitations or approaches from people they meet online, usually in chat rooms or by instant messages. Many times children are approached by other children, but adult predators frequent child-oriented chat rooms and slip into teens’ instant message groups. They can send mass instant messages to multiple teens.
Link: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/13817655.htm