You were online chatting with a few people when a new friend request popped up. It was a good-looking girl. She appeared to be an adult in her images.

You chatted with her for a while and asked her age. She told you she was 20 and going to college nearby. You had no reason not to believe her. After several days of speaking, you both decided you’d like to meet for a date in the future. You exchanged a few explicit photos with each other, too.

You casually asked if she’d like to come over. You implied that you wanted to have a date and sleep together afterward. She didn’t respond right away, but she soon asked for your address. You gave it to her and invited her over.

A few hours later, you hadn’t heard anything and assumed she wasn’t coming. Not long after that, a knock on the door came. What you weren’t expecting to open the door to was a group of police officers who said you were being arrested for propositioning a minor online.

It turns out that the “woman” in the photos was just 16. She was not even out of high school. Of course, you didn’t know that, but you’re now being accused of a serious crime.

This is a time when you will want to defend yourself as soon as you can. An accusation of propositioning a minor and subsequent conviction could land you on a sex offender registry and have significant implications in other areas of your life. Our website has more on what to do if you’ve been arrested unexpectedly based on your chats with a minor.