A 43-year-old Pleasant Hill man who police say arranged to meet a minor for sexual activity was arrested in San Mateo yesterday after an online decoy group tipped off authorities. San Mateo police report that officers intercepted the man at the agreed-upon meeting spot and took him into custody without incident. According to the department, the operation began when the group, which posed online as minors, turned over identifying information that helped investigators zero in on the suspect. The man was later booked into the San Mateo County jail, police said.
How police say they tracked him
According to the San Mateo Police Department, the decoy organization notified officers yesterday morning after it had been communicating with the man online. Investigators then used an automated license-plate reader to track a vehicle registered to the suspect as he drove from the East Bay toward San Mateo, and a photo he allegedly sent to the decoy was used to confirm his identity. Officers arrested the man shortly after 1 p.m. at the agreed meeting location, police said.
Charges and the law
Police say the suspect faces multiple counts, including arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a serious felony. As outlined by Penal Code 288.4, arranging or going to a planned meeting with someone believed to be a minor can result in a state-prison sentence. California's Sex Offender Registration Act is codified at Section 290, which governs registration requirements for certain sex offenses, and those statutes can increase penalties for defendants with prior registerable convictions.
Identification and booking
San Mateo police identified the suspect as 43-year-old James Carey of Pleasant Hill. They said he was booked into the San Mateo County jail on charges including 288.4(a)(2), 288.3(a) and 288.4(b), according to the department's post. The post also notes that Carey is a registered sex offender under Penal Code 290 and has a prior conviction, which the department says contributed to the enhanced charge in this case. Detectives said the decoy organization provided the suspect's phone number along with open-source information that was used during the investigation. The case remains active, and investigators are asking anyone with additional information to contact the department.
What residents should know
Police have not released further details about the planned meeting location or any potential victims. They are also urging residents not to run their own sting operations, stressing that coordinated reporting and formal investigations are necessary to build prosecutable cases and protect potential victims while avoiding the risks of vigilante action.
