Fairfax Man Charged With Using Dating App To Solicit Child: FCPD

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A Fairfax man, who was arrested Tuesday, is facing three felony charges for solicitation of a minor, the Fairfax County Police Department said Wednesday.

At about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Joshua Shearin, 22, directly messaged another user via a social media dating application who was an undercover police detective, the FCPD said. The app uses geolocation technology to locate people near the user.

Shearin exchanged several messages with the detective, who identified himself as a 14-year-old boy, the police said in a news release Wednesday. Shearin sent explicit pictures to the detective and discussed meeting the boy for a sexual encounter.

Shearin then chose a location to meet, the FCPD said. Detectives found the man in the agreed-upon location and took him into custody.

Detectives from the FCPD’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Missing Person and Exploitation Squad charged Shearin with two counts of the use of communications systems to facilitate offenses involving children and one count of attempted indecent liberties, the police said.

He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.

Detectives are seeking anyone who has information or may have had inappropriate contact with Shearin to call its Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3.