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By Police Report Team — Boca Raton Tribune
BOYNTON BEACH — A 45-year-old Greenacres man is in custody after police say he traveled to Boynton Beach to meet what he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sex — only to encounter an undercover detective.
According to the Boynton Beach Police Department, Robin Blanchard was arrested Friday evening, August 8, following a two-day online exchange in which he allegedly solicited sexual acts and exchanged explicit photos with a detective posing as a minor.
The operation began August 6, when detectives from BBPD’s Special Victims Unit — specializing in human exploitation cases — were contacted by Blanchard via the Kik messenger app. Police said he quickly asked for the “girl’s” age, sex, and location, and after being told she was 13, began soliciting sex, requesting explicit images, and sending explicit photos of himself.
In multiple conversations, investigators said Blanchard acknowledged the decoy’s age and even admitted to having previously been in trouble for meeting a 14-year-old.
On the day of the planned meeting, Blanchard allegedly instructed the undercover detective to wait by a pool so they wouldn’t be seen together, before moving to a hotel room for sex. He was taken into custody upon arrival around 5 p.m.
Blanchard faces charges of traveling to meet a minor for sex, transmission of material harmful to minors, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct. He remains in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail.
Police credited the arrest to a joint effort by BBPD’s Special Victims Unit, Property Crimes Unit, and Community Response Team.
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