PRESS RELEASE
On March 8, 2012, Mammoth Lakes resident, Gene Wayne HARRIS, was arrested on a warrant charging contact with a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense.
On March 1, 2012, the Mono County District Attorney was referred an investigation through the MLPD School Resource Officer Program after HARRIS, age 41, made inappropriate contact with a minor through her Facebook account.
District Attorney Investigators took over the investigation and with the assistance of the School Resource Officer set up a sting with HARRIS, who is a previously convicted sex offender. Over the course of several days HARRIS engaged with Investigators in an on-line conversation believing he was communicating with the minor child. An eventual meeting was set up between HARRIS and who he believed was the minor at the Quality Inn. DA Investigators with the assistance of law enforcement arrested HARRIS at the Quality Inn without incident.
This investigation was a cooperative effort between the Mono County District Attorney’s Office, Mammoth Lakes Police Department, Mono County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.
Harris is being held at the Mono County Jail on $75,000.00 bail. Both the Mono County District Attorney as well as the US Attorney’s Office are reviewing the case for prosecution and appropriate venue.
The Mono County District Attorney along with local law enforcement agencies takes these cases very seriously. The protection of minors is a top priority and every effort will be put into investigating, prosecuting and protecting our youth from this kind of conduct.
The use of social-media can be dangerous and I would encourage parents to be vigilant and minors to be aware. If inappropriate contact occurs please report it to the Mono County District Attorney or your local law enforcement agency.
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the guy is scum,but it sure seems like entrapment to me,but theres alotta things police do thats edgy
They can legally carry off stings like this.
BK
This winner is already listed on the CA Megan’s Law website. What does it take these days to get these “people” away from the public?
Just curious where the dividing line is between a “sting” and entrapment under our Constitution?
Desert Tortoise…The difference for me,and a lot of others,is if a minor is in contact with you,once you find out it’s a minor…and if it turns into something sexual,maybe a good time to get off their facebook account…entrapment ?….no way…It’s not as if a minor,or someone posing to be a minor has some type of “control” over an adult,or forcing them into an inappropriate conversation,or planning some type of rondevous. An adult is an adult…a minor is a minor.
note: he is categorized as low risk, I bet that will change. If not somebody should be fired.
One of the few crimes I have no sympathy for the guilty.
Is this guy by any chance, related to the OTHER HARRIS,from Chalfant, who is serving over 200 years for the same thing ?
Maybe they should set up one of those Dateline “To catch a predator” shows with Chris Hanson up there in Mammoth Lakes.