Cops Collar Random Sexter

MARCH 24--A Tennessee man learned the hard way that it is best to know who you are dialing when using a cell phone to troll for underage "sexting" buddies.

Christian Torres, pictured at left in a Bedford County Sheriff's Office mug shot, was looking for someone to have sex with Monday when he sent text messages to six random numbers--two of which, it turned out, belonged to Shelbyville Police Department detectives.

According to a police report, Detective William Crews, posing as a 13-year-old girl, answered Torres's solicitation, which wonedered whether the recipient “would have sex with him and not tell." After arranging a meeting, police arrived to find Torres, 19, in possession of "5 condoms and two cell phones.” Torres’s phones were later discovered to have "numerous pictures of females unclothed. Some of which appear to be under the age of 18," cops reported.

Torres admitted corresponding with the purported teen girl, noting that he "texts several numbers at the same time to find people to talk to." Charged with solicitation of a minor, Torres is jailed in lieu of $10,000 bond. (2 pages)