Joseph Gearhart of Coral Springs, Florida was arrested Wednesday after he was accused of attempting to meeting up with a year-old boy for sex, news sources report. Gearhart, 34, was booked into the Broward County Main Jail on charges of traveling to meet a child for sex , attempting a lewd act on a child under 16, using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, and soliciting, luring, enticing a child to engage in sex.
The press did not say whether Gearhart has obtained an attorney. Reports say Gearhart has been in a relationship with his domestic partner, Michael Comfort, for the past 11 years. There is no indication the Gearhart has ever sexually assaulted a child or anyone else. Before his recent arrest, he had no criminal record in Florida. In March, Gearhart created a personal Craigslist ad seeking a male partner between the ages of 18 and 28, sources say. An undercover detective working for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement replied to the ad, pretending to be a year-old boy, reports say.
Gearhart purportedly proposed that they meet up at the Westfield Broward Mall. On Wednesday, Gearhart allegedly traveled to the mall to meet with the boy. When he arrived, detectives with the FDLE arrested him, sources say. The detectives reportedly showed Gearhart printed copies of the emails he had sent the detective during the investigation.
According to reports, Gearhart admitted that he had written and sent the emails. Detectives across the country regularly pose as children or as guardians offering their children for sex online in an effort to catch online predators.
These stings result in thousands of arrests each year. Source: 8.
