Out-of-state man arrested in undercover operation, allegedly sent nude photo to a fake underage girl

BLACKFOOT — A 64-year-old Maine man has been arrested after sending a nude photo of himself to an undercover officer posing as an underage girl.

According to the Boothbay Register, John Vinal of Nobleboro, Maine, was arrested on Oct. 28 on a warrant from Idaho.

Vinal was brought to the Gem State, where he appeared in court on Nov. 20, facing one felony charge of enticing a child through the internet. If he is found guilty, he faces a possible punishment of 15 years in prison and or a $50,000 fine.

According to court documents, a detective with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was conducting a chat operation on the app Twiq with other individuals on Aug. 13.

The detective used a fake profile and spoke with an account called “J”, which was later identified as Vinal. The detective sent the man a message asking for his age, sex, and location and was told he was from the United States and 64 years old.

Vinal messaged the fake profile asking whether they were 18, but the detective did not respond.

The detective told the man he was from Idaho and was seeking a “grandpa.”

Vinal responded, “I don’t know if I would be a good grandpa. I’m attracted to girls your age.”

The documents state that the detective informed the man that, due to the high volume of messages they were receiving, they could transfer the chat to another app.

Vinal asked if they had Telegram, Zangi, Simplex and Snapchat, and the detective gave them a Kik account. The chat moved over to Kik.

The detective told Vinal, through the fake account, that they were 14 years old and had sent an image of a pre-teen girl’s face.

For over two months, the detective and Vinal exchanged messages back and forth on Kik, where the detective had obtained the email address used for Vinal’s account through a subpoena to Kik.

The email address contained Vinal’s name, and two Internet Protocol addresses were also given.

A search of the address showed one of them belonged to a construction company in Maine, and the other was a residential address.

A subpoena was sent to the service provider for information on the residence’s IP address, and the email address provided also included Vinal’s name.

An analyst with ICAC found the driver’s license for Vinal and matched it to an image Vinal had sent to the detective on Kik.

On Oct. 17, the conversation became sexually graphic, and Vinal sent the fake profile instructions on how to masturbate and where to touch her body.

The document states that Vinal asked the account to send them a photo of their bare chest, but the detective refused.

Vinal later asked the fake account if they wanted to see a picture of his genitalia, and then sent one.

The 64-year-old man is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge James Barrett Jr. for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 4.

Though Vinal has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

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