NORFOLK — A 26-year-old man is facing two felonies after police say he used a Craigslist ad to try to solicit sex with a child.
Steven Lee May is charged with attempting to solicit prostitution from a minor under the age of 16 and sexual offense with a minor via a computer. If convicted, May could face between six and 40 years in prison.
The Norfolk Police Department got a tip on June 3 that someone on Craigslist was soliciting sex with children in an ad titled “Need help, taboo interest – m4m.”
The advertiser asked people to contact them if they knew of a child between the ages of nine and 14 that the advertiser could “play” with, according to documents filed in Norfolk Circuit Court.
Police believe May was the advertiser who posted the Craigslist ad.
An undercover police officer emailed May via Craigslist and asked him to download Wickr, an instant messaging application that allows users to send text, pictures and videos. In a chat, the officer said she could bring May a 12-year-old boy and asked May what he wanted to “play,” court documents show.
May said that he would pay $150 to have sex with the boy. May sent the undercover officer several pictures of himself, and agreed to meet the 12-year-old boy on June 23 on Military Highway so they could go to a nearby hotel, according to court documents.
He also told the officer he’d be driving a black Honda.
When May showed up to the location, he sent the officer a text through Wickr saying he was there. He was arrested soon after.
When police searched his car, they found $160 in cash, a bottle of lubricant and several condoms in the car’s glove compartment, court documents show.
May was released from the Norfolk City Jail on bond on July 5. He is scheduled to appear in Norfolk General District Court on Aug. 16
