Police say a late-night meet-up in a Whitestown park ended with a 32-year-old West Lafayette man in handcuffs after he allegedly showed up to see someone he believed was a 14-year-old he had been messaging on Snapchat. According to court documents, the man reportedly joked, "I could go to jail lol" during the exchange. He now faces multiple felony charges tied to soliciting a minor.
Sting At Main Street Park
Detectives with the Boone County Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Task Force and the regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit say the arrest followed an undercover operation using a decoy Snapchat account that posed as a 14-year-old. Investigators arranged a meet-up at Main Street Park in Whitestown and moved in when the suspect arrived, according to a sheriff's office media release. The department described the sting as part of a focused push to intercept adults attempting to meet minors. Boone County Sheriff's Office detailed the larger effort in its public statement.
Charges, Evidence And Booking
Court filings and local reporting identify the suspect as 32-year-old Spencer Hitchcock of West Lafayette. Formal charges were filed June 29 in Boone Circuit Court, including child solicitation and attempted sexual misconduct as a mix of level-4 and level-5 felonies. FOX59 reports officers found four unused condoms on Hitchcock's person and a half-empty bottle of Smirnoff in his vehicle. He was booked into the Boone County Jail and later released after posting a $2,500 cash bond.
The filings set a jury trial for Oct. 13, 2026, and indicate that a conviction on all counts could carry a potential sentence of decades behind bars.
Part Of A Broader ICAC Sweep
Officials say the arrest was one of several that came out of a three-day ICAC operation in late June targeting suspected online predators across Boone County. The sheriff's office described a coordinated effort by local agencies using undercover decoys and digital investigative tools to disrupt attempts to meet minors and urged anyone with information about similar activity to contact investigators. Boone County Sheriff's Office laid out the scope of the sweep in its release.
Prosecutors are now preparing for the fall trial as the case moves through Boone Circuit Court. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial.
