Man Accused Of Enticing ‘Minor’ Online: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A man is accused of trying to entice a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl in an online chat, according to Meriden police.

The Meriden Police Department’s Special Crimes Unit began an undercover operation in October, where police said a detective “purported themselves in an online chat application” to be a 15-year-old girl.

Police said the "female juvenile persona" was contacted by a man who was later identified as 44-year-old Christopher Smith.

“Over the course of this investigation, Christopher’s conversations with who he believed to be a 15-year-old female became sexually explicit in nature,” police wrote in a news release. “Christopher expressed sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the 15-year-old female.”

Police said Smith made plans to meet the 15-year-old in a specific location in Meriden. He followed through on Wednesday and traveled to the location.

Smith was arrested and charged with criminal attempt of second-degree sexual assault, criminal attempt of risk of injury to a minor, and criminal attempt of enticing a minor by computer. He was being held in lieu of a $200,000 bond with a court date of Nov. 29, according to state judicial records.

“We at the Meriden Police Department are wholeheartedly committed to protecting children,” police wrote in the news release. “We understand the impact of these crimes and we work with partner agencies to help provide services to the affected victims and their families. It is the policy of the Meriden Police Department to fully investigate every allegation of crimes against children that is brought to our organization.”