Crime & Safety
Havre de Grace Man Charged With Soliciting Minor
Police said a Havre de Grace man was arrested in an online sex sting in Cecil County, where he thought he was meeting up with a boy.
HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — A Havre de Grace man is being held without bail in Cecil County after police said he tried to solicit sex from an undercover officer posing as a minor online.
Fred Packard, 73, is charged with one count of sexual solicitation of a minor, court records show.
Police said Packard, who lives in the 100 block of Bay Boulevard, had been talking with a trooper posing as a 14-year-old boy through an online dating application. The trooper in the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit had been monitoring the app since December, according to officials.
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"Packard initiated an online conversation with the goal of soliciting a sexual encounter with the minor," police said in a statement this week.
Authorities said Packard suggested meeting in Cecil County on Friday, Feb. 26.
Find out what's happening in Havre de Gracefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When Packard arrived at the meetup location in North East around 1:45 p.m. to see the person he thought was a 14-year-old boy, Maryland State Police said he was arrested.
After a bail review Monday, March 1, Packard is being detained until a preliminary hearing March 24 in Cecil County District Court.
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