Local man charged with felony enticing a child

A man from Shelley is suspected of soliciting sex on the Internet from someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Timothy Moss is charged with felony enticing a child after court records said he tried to meet the teen in person.

The documents said police Officer David Gomez from the Meridian Police Department created an undercover Facebook profile under the name of Lisa Hatch. In May, Moss allegedly initiated the contact with Hatch through Facebook by friend-requesting her. He later messaged her. The court documents state that Hatch said she made it clear that she was 13 and lived in Meridian. During those conversations Moss reportedly initiated sexual conversations. One day he invited Hatch to come to the Idaho Falls area, police said.

On Sept. 3, Moss allegedly agreed to meet Hatch at Tautphaus Park in Idaho Falls. Moss was pulled over for a traffic stop before he arrived at the park and was arrested by the Idaho Falls Police Department.

This incident raises the question of how do parents protect their kids from the Internet?

“The first thing parents should do before they allow any access to a home computer, laptop or even a cellphone to sit down and have a conversation with their kids first. They should set some rules and talk about the consequences of using the Internet as well as the privileges of using the internet,” said Joelyn Hansen, spokesperson for IFPD.

“I think it is always a good idea to keep computers with Internet access in a more public area of the home. I think privacy leads to problems sometimes for kids that are exploring the Internet for the first time,” said Riley Bradshaw, resident of Idaho Falls.

Moss is a registered sex offender in the state of Idaho. His preliminary hearing will be held at the Bonneville County Courthouse on Sep. 16 at 1:30 p.m. If found guilty, Moss could receive up to 15 years in prison.