A Johnsonburg man has been arrested by the Attorney General’s
Child Predator Unit for allegedly sexually propositioning what he
believed was a 13-year-old girl over the Internet.

Michael Snodgrass, 37, of 336 Shawmut Ave., is charged with four
counts each of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a
communication facility, third-degree felonies.

According to court records at District Judge George King’s
office, the charges were filed by Special Agent David Frattare of
the Child Predator Unit based on alleged activities between March 5
and April 7 in Johnsonburg and Pittsburgh.

On March 5, Snodgrass used an Internet chatroom to contact an
undercover agent who was using the online profile of a 13-year-old
girl from the Pittsburgh area. The agent, posing as a teenage girl,
was approached in a romance chatroom by an individual by the screen
name of “lildrummerboy15845,” who said his name was Mike and that
he was from Elk County near St. Marys, according to the court
records.

The “girl” told him that she was from Cranberry Township near
Pittsburgh; the man, who was later identified as Snodgrass, said he
was a truck driver who makes deliveries to the Costco store located
in that area.

Snodgrass told the “girl” he had viewed her MySpace profile and
wanted to continue to talk to her “because he knew that she was not
a police officer,” the records read. He sent her pictures of his
tractor trailer and said he would give her a ride in it the next
time he was in Cranberry. He also displayed on his online profile
pictures of nude women and told the “girl” he wanted to get a
picture of her like that when he was there, according to the
records.

He also indicated he knew his conduct with her was illegal, the
records read, as Snodgrass wrote in the chats that he “could go to
jail for taking or possessing naked pictures of the child.”

On March 6, Snodgrass sent a picture of an “exposed nude male
penis, which the defendant indicated was his,” the records read.
After that, the conversations became more sexually graphic and he
began asking the “girl” about her sexual experience.

In a subsequent chat, he transmitted two more photographs of his
exposed penis to the “girl,” and asked for her picture to put in
his truck. When the “girl” expressed concern over Snodgrass’s wife
finding out, he said his wife didn’t know about it, the records
read.

He also expressed interest in meeting the “girl,” saying he
might drive down, according to the records.

On March 13, Snodgrass initiated a fourth chat with the “girl,”
saying he was “ready to do something,” the records read. When the
“girl” asked what he meant, Snodgrass began asking about “her
tendencies towards sex and masturbation.” Near the end of the
conversation, he said he was masturbating during the conversation,
the records read.

During a chat on April 4, he said he was “thinking about sex”
and indicated he was using his wife’s computer, which had a Web
cam. He indicated he did not have any pants on, stood up in front
of the camera, and proceeded to masturbate for a brief period of
time, the records indicate.

On April 7, Snodgrass sent a message to the “girl” saying he no
longer wanted to talk to her because he was “out of line,” the
records read.

The Attorney General’s investigators served court orders to
obtain records of the registration and Internet Protocol address
for the individual, which was traced back to Snodgrass.

Snodgrass was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday by local
police and agents from the Child Predator Unit. Agents seized four
computers from his home along with a digital camera, a cell phone
and several data storage disks.

Snodgrass was arraigned before St. Marys Magistrate Donald
Wilhelm and lodged in Elk County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bond.
He was also prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with
children and from using a computer.

A preliminary hearing will be scheduled in front of Magistrate
King in Johnsonburg. The case will be prosecuted in Elk County by
Deputy Attorney General William Caye.