SFPD say a MN man had sought sex from what he thought was a 12-year-old girl.
Story Created:
May 3, 2008 at 9:30 PM CST
Story Updated:
May 5, 2008 at 9:14 AM CST
A Minnesota man is facing prison time, if convicted of traveling from his Jasper home across the border to have sex with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl.
On April 30th, when 22-year-old Ryan Lee Balster allegedly signed onto Yahoo! Instant Messenger. He went by "ryan_balster_44." After chatting with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl for a few minutes, he turned on his web-cam and started masturbating.
As the chat continued, he asked the girl for sexual favors. The officer posing as the girl said, "u will rely com all the way to c me????"
Balster replied... "ya."
Police say Balster wanted to meet the 12-year-old at a park in Sioux Falls that night, but then re-scheduled.
The next day, Balster signed back online and the chat continued. He said, "u can play with me while i play with u k hunny."
Balster agreed to meet the girl for sex at Sioux Falls' Dunham Park, but when arrived there Thursday evening, officers arrested him.
A Sioux Falls father of three, Gary Dykstra takes his kids to Dunham Park quite a bit.
The alleged crime is disturbing to him, but he's happy to hear about the arrest. He said, "On the good side of things, the police cyber crime unit was doing their job and that show that they're looking out for us."
If convicted, Balster faces a 30-year prison sentence, $250,000 in fines, or both. He will make his next court appearance after completing a mental evaluation.
Stay with KSFY for the latest on this story.
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KSFY's Drew Sandholm can be reached by phone at (605) 373-7372 or by e-mail.
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