Risingsun man charged with attempting sex with minor

TIFFIN — A Risingsun man is facing a felony charge after traveling to Tiffin to meet with a person he believed to be a minor for sexual activity, according to the Tiffin Police Department. Bobby J. Carnicom, 73, was taken into custody March 12 following a covert online investigation conducted by Tiffin police Det. Eric England. Authorities said Carnicom arranged to meet who he believed to be a 14-year-old and the juvenile's father. He was arrested upon arriving in Tiffin and charged with attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Carnicom was transported to the Seneca County Jail and was later indicted on March 19 by a Seneca County grand jury on the same charge. He is currently being held on a $100,000 bond. England said the department regularly works with other local, state and federal investigators. "We share information as well as assisting with investigations," England said. He said the Tiffin Police Department has investigators that are a part of Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children, which gives them access to a database of investigators nationwide. "If a case is found to be in another jurisdiction, we will reach out to them and send the case to the jurisdiction where the crime has taken place," said England. England noted one of the challenges in these cases is the time it can take to process digital evidence. "Once arrests are made and/or electronics are seized, we have to transport the devices to other local, state and federal agencies for the evidence to be extracted from the devices," he said. "This can take anywhere from days to months." He cited a case that took 9 months for evidence to be returned and charges pursued. Pauly said these investigations remain a priority for the department. "The Tiffin Police Department's Criminal Division remains committed to aggressively investigating crimes involving the exploitation of minors and will continue to pursue these cases wherever they lead," he said. Pauly recently commended England for his work on both the Carnicom case and a series of related investigations targeting the exploitation of minors. Pauly said England has conducted multiple covert online investigations in recent months focused on individuals involved in the distribution of child sexual abuse material and those seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors. Those efforts have led to the identification of suspects both within Ohio and outside the state as well. In regards to how officers are able to handle the nature of these investigations, England noted that investigators are able to utilize an employee assistance program as well as peer support through other investigators. In one case, a suspect in New Mexico was identified and the findings were shared with the appropriate jurisdiction, resulting in that individual's arrest. That suspect is currently being held pending trial. Another investigation identified a suspect in Oklahoma who was allegedly distributing child sexual abuse material online and was believed to potentially be a hands-on offender. Information from that case was provided to the appropriate agency, and the investigation remains ongoing. A separate case involved a suspect in Michigan who was accused of disseminating material harmful to juveniles to an individual believed to be a 14-year-old female and discussing plans to travel to Tiffin. Investigators in Michigan executed a search warrant at the suspect's residence March 23, and charges are pending. In at least one instance, police said information about a suspect had previously been reported through a non-law enforcement source but could not be acted on at the time. The department said the proactive investigation and collaboration between agencies provided the necessary foundation for law enforcement action. When asked what steps parents or guardians can take to ensure the safety of their children's online activity, England noted the best thing is to play a proactive role in what they are involved with online. "Parents should monitor what applications their children are using and make themselves familiar with that application," England said. He noted there are also several applications parents can use to monitor everything their child is doing while on their phone, tablet, and some other devices. "Many seemingly innocuous applications have reported child predators lurking and reaching out to children as another child. They will befriend the child and earn the child's trust all while portraying themselves as something they are not," said England.