A 29-year-old Culver man was arrested Saturday night following an investigation into alleged sexually explicit online conversations with a decoy he reportedly believed was 13 years old.
According to the Culver Police Department, officers were dispatched to a residence on North Main Street around 10:10 p.m. on October 31 after receiving information about possible child solicitation activity.
When officers arrived, they spoke with a member of an organization involved in exposing suspected online predators. The individual reported that an adult male at the residence had been engaging in sexually explicit online conversations with a decoy he believed was 13 years old.
During the investigation, police said they obtained evidence supporting probable cause to arrest 29-year-old Chanoy Rabath-Dingkin of Culver.
Rabath-Dingkin was taken to the Marshall County Jail.
According to police, a Marshall County Superior Court reviewed a probable cause affidavit and found probable cause for two alleged offenses: child solicitation, a Level 4 felony, and inappropriate communication with a child, a Class B misdemeanor.
In its November 1 release, the department said Rabath-Dingkin was being held on a $50,000 cash bond.
Police also addressed concerns circulating on social media about the residence’s proximity to a local school.
The department said it had no previous law enforcement encounters with Rabath-Dingkin and had not received prior reports or allegations of criminal activity involving him at that location.
Importantly, police confirmed that no actual children were directly involved in the investigation. The alleged conversations involved a decoy whom Rabath-Dingkin reportedly believed was 13 years old.
The Culver Police Department said the completed investigation would be forwarded to the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office for review of formal charges.
Readers are reminded that charging information supported by an affidavit of probable cause is a mere allegation that a crime has been committed and that there is only probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. They are presumed innocent throughout the proceedings and are entitled to be represented by counsel and entitled to a trial by jury at which the State is obligated to provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a judgment of guilt may be made.