Parents set Facebook trap to thwart daughter’s kidnapping

A Federal Way man faces charges of attempted child rape and kidnapping after falling into a Facebook trap.

Mirror staff reports:

A Federal Way man faces charges of attempted child rape and kidnapping after falling into a Facebook trap.

According to The Spokesman-Review, a Spokane father discovered that a 30-year-old man was wooing his 15-year-old daughter through a Facebook dating application called “Are You Interested.”

The man and the girl had exchanged hundreds of messages, communicated via YouTube, and even met face-to-face in May. At that encounter, according to the report, he allegedly gave the girl an engagement ring, had sex with her, and made plans for her to run away from home and elope.

The girl’s parents discovered the relationship and posed as their daughter in messages with the suspect, and convinced the man to carry out the runaway plan, the report said. On June 8, the girl’s father and two friends waited for the suspect in an alley behind the house. They detained the man until police arrived.

The report identifies the suspect as Jason D. Richards of Federal Way. The suspect’s arraignment is Wednesday at Spokane County Superior Court. His bond was set at $100,000.