KSFY News - Sioux Falls, SD News, Weather, SportsAberdeen Police Department: Fighting cyber criminals

Aberdeen Police Department: Fighting cyber criminals

An Airmen stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City is facing a number of charges Friday after police say he drove more than 300 miles to have sex with a 13-year-old girl he met on the Internet.

21-year-old Samuel Seeley pleaded not guilty to five felony charges in Brown County Court in Aberdeen.

Because of a rise in cyber crimes in Aberdeen, the police department added another officer that will help to combat virtual crime.

Since the launching of the worldwide web in 1990 it has evolved by leaps and bounds.

But the state's attorney says cyber criminals have been causing problems right here in Brown County.

"Cases like this, cases of cyber bullying, child pornography, that's kinda thing is definitely something that as a prosecutor and I would believe law enforcement would agree, it's an area that's grown," Lori Ehlers, Chief Deputy State's Attorney for Brown County said.

To combat that growth the Aberdeen Police Department added another officer.

Detective Tom Tarnowski has been on the force for nearly two decades and has been on the front line of the cyber war for years.

"Of the communication the kids have with predators online, often times it will begin with text chat, then later on go to video chat. And I think the biggest reason that they wanna go to video is that they wanna see the person that they're chatting with," Tarnowski said.

Tarnowski says parents need to keep a close eye on their kid's electronics.

Don't be afraid to take a look at the devices every now and again and talk to your kids about Internet safety.

This way they won't have trouble coming to you if a cyber criminal comes their way.

Click here for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's list of cyber safety tips.