Suspect and victim are believed to have met online

August 7, 2008

CARY , NC – The Town of Cary Police Department has arrested and charged Dakota Walker Lee Melton, 21, of 324 Brook Arbor Drive in Cary with indecent liberties with a child and second degree kidnapping. The victim is a minor from Sanford. The arrest was made following the victim’s revelation of the inappropriate relationship between the suspect and the victim.  The maximum fine for each crime is 74 months for second degree kidnapping and 49 months for indecent liberties with a child.  Melton is being held on a $20,000 bond in the Wake County Public Safety Center .

“Regrettably, children who use the Internet may unwittingly become the target of a predator.  As more and more of our youth gravitate to the Internet as a means to socialize, it is imperative that parents know what their children are doing online to help prevent this type of tragedy,” said Captain Mike Williams of the Cary Police Department.

To help protect your children who use the Internet, the Cary Police Department offers the following tips:

• Parents should know who their children are talking to online and which sites they are visiting

• Parents need to talk to their children about how to use the Internet safely

• Computers with Internet access should be located in a central area of the house, not in a child's bedroom or a secluded area

• Children should know never to give out personal information such as full name, address or telephone number to anyone on the Internet without their parents’ permission

• Face-to-face meetings with people met on the Internet should not be permitted, unless the meetings are in a public place and a parent is present

• Parents should not permit online profiles or personal Web pages which give out children’s personal information (i.e. age, school, town).

For more crime prevention tips, visit the Town of Cary Police Department  at www.townofcary.org.

Crime Stoppers pays up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest or indictment of those responsible for committing certain types of crimes.  If you have information, contact Crime Stoppers at 226-CRIM(E) or contact Captain Mike Williams at (919) 469-4017; you may also visit www.carycrimestoppers.net.  All calls will be kept CONFIDENTIAL at caller's request. 

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