Sweet Home police last week arrested a 31-year-old Australian man at a Sweet Home motel for crimes involving a 17-year-old Sweet Home girl.
At approximately, 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, Sweet Home Police Department responded to a report of a juvenile female who had been staying at the Sweet Home Inn, 805 Long St., with an adult male she had met through the Internet.
Rowan Thomson-Sapstead was arrested and charged with luring a minor, first-degree online corruption of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
“The (girl’s) parents became aware of it and notified us,” said Police Chief Jeff Lynn.
When offi-cers arrived at the motel, they located Thomson-Sapstead, an Australian citizen, and the female minor, Lynn said. Detectives interviewed the juvenile and learned that she had met Thomson Sapstead on a social network site and had begun an online relationship with him.
Thomson-Sapstead traveled from Canada, where he had been living on a work visa and checked into the motel, Lynn said. The female reported engaging in a sexual relationship with him and that she had also traveled with him to Nevada during the New Year holiday.
Detectives interviewed Thomson-Sapstead, who admitted to meeting the minor female online and traveling to Sweet Home to meet her, Lynn said. Thomson-Sapstead also admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with the teen.
He was lodged at Linn County Jail but later posted bail and was released. The Australian consulate has been contacted, Lynn said.
Lynn urges parents to make sure about what their children are doing online with social media.
“Find out what your kids are doing online, on their computers at home and also cell phones,” he said.
The investigation is continuing, and anyone with information regarding Thomson-Sapstead should contact Det. Cyndi Pichardo at (541) 367-5181.