BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington man was arrested after exchanging messages with a decoy teenage girl.
Police say 40-year-old Nathaniel Clark showed up to meet the decoy with a 2-year-old child.
Nathaniel Clark, 40, was charged with child solicitation in Monroe Circuit Court 2 on Wednesday.
Investigators said an undercover officer began a conversation with Clark on the Whisper app on March 31. According to court documents, in the very first message exchange, the decoy told Clark she was a 15-year-old girl.
Court documents report the messages quickly ventured on to sex and how they could hang out. Pictures were eventually exchanged, and the messages continued for several days. At one point, Clark’s alleged stated, “What about getting together then and me getting you naked.”
Clark arranged to meet with the decoy on April 4 at a fast food restaurant on South Walnut Street in Bloomington. Police surrounded Clark’s car when he arrived and took him into custody. A 2-year-old child was found in a car seat in the back, as well as a handgun in the rear pocket of the seat directly in front of the toddler.
Clark asked police if he was being detained for the “chat on the Whisper app.” He then told police he thought he was engaging in “age play” with an adult who was acting younger than their age.
During questioning, Clark eventually admitted to detectives that he was “curious” about being with a 15-year-old and wanted to hook up.
