Arnold Reed, 40, of Plattsburgh, N.Y. has learned that there is no greater wrath than an ex-wife texted. His 23-year-old estranged wife says that she mistakenly text messaged him from her new cell phone. Thinking that he was communicating with a stranger, he struck up a conversation that ultimately led to his estranged wife setting up a sting involving underage sex. He was arrested in South Hero, Vermont.
This should make for a very interesting criminal defense. The wife insists that after she sent the mistaken email, Reed replied, “No problem — just someone new to talk to.” She then proceeded to continue to text him and developed a fake identity of a 17 year old with a 15 year old friend looking for sex. He was promptly arrested when he tried to meet the fake girls.
Allowing an estranged spouse to set up the other spouse does raise some obvious concerns. The police become an extension of a heated divorce and invite such entrapments in future cases. Anyone reading this story with a bitter break-up (pretty common in divorces) is likely to be inspired to conduct their own sting operations. This can lead to violence and harassment.
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I loved my Criminal Law class!
When I read stories like this I always remember learning
Entrapment is a Defense – not a Crime.