The electronic-solicitation case against a Chantilly man is moving ahead in the legal system. He is Michael A. Proseus, 54, of 13458 Stream Valley Drive, off Stringfellow Road, in Chantilly.
Fairfax County police say that, via instant message, he allegedly contacted a person who he thought was a 13-year-old Centreville girl. Their conversations reportedly ran from Feb. 12, 2004 until Jan. 6, 2005, and police say Proseus allegedly told the girl he wanted to have sexual relations with her.
ACCORDING TO police, he and the suspect planned to meet, Jan. 6, at a Centreville shopping center. However, the "teen" was actually police Det. Lewis Barrickman working undercover to catch online predators. And in an affidavit to seek possible criminal evidence in Proseus's home, the detective gave details of what was to happen after the couple met.
"They would then travel via his vehicle to a yet-to-be-determined location," he wrote. "The female would pose nude for the suspect to take digital pictures. She would be expected to masturbate in front of the suspect. He would then perform oral sodomy on her, which he believed would lead to sexual intercourse."
Instead, when Proseus reportedly arrived for their Jan. 6 meeting, he was apprehended by police. "During a search of his person, a condom was located in his front shirt pocket," wrote Barrickman. "Proseus [allegedly] informed detectives that he was the person talking to the minor and had solicited several sexual acts from her."
The detective wrote that Proseus also allegedly told police that he'd "discussed taking nude photographs of [her]. Proseus [reportedly] went on to state that he had images of child pornography on his home computer."
Four hours later, Barrickman executed the search warrant at Proseus' home. Police seized a Dell computer and a camera docking stand. Proseus was charged with using a communications system to facilitate certain offenses involving children and was later released from jail on $10,000 bond.
He appeared last Tuesday, April 19, in General District Court. At that time, Judge Stewart Davis certified the charge against him to the next grand jury for possible indictment.