TOLEDO, Ohio — A 31-year-old Hammond man drove several hours to Ohio with the intention of having a sexual encounter with a 7-year-old girl supposedly being offered up by an adult, officials said.
Instead, when Peter Clark stepped out of his silver BMW during the late morning hours of April 9 at the arranged site, he was greeted by members of the FBI's Toledo Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Peter Clark
Clark was taken into custody and among the items found in his vehicle was a sex toy and two bags of Skittles candy he had been told the girl liked, according to a federal charging document.
Clark, who is being held without bail at Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio and whose mugshot includes a hometown of Hammond, was charged in federal court with coercion or enticement, and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, records show.
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The case against Clark began Aug. 4 when he allegedly responded to a disguised FBI post placed online at websites known to be frequented by adults with sexual interest in children, according to a charging document.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call Gary Police Detective John Suttles at 219-881-1210.
"I'm m 29, but be honest not real sure what you're looking for," Clark allegedly wrote.
"Where ya from," the agent responded.
"I'm in Indiana," Clark reportedly wrote back.
Clark goes on to say he is attracted to younger girls, describes in graphic detail what he is looking for sexually and says he is interested in meeting the supposed adult and child, records show. He allegedly claimed to have had sexual contact prior with a "girl I used to sit for."
Clark reached out again to the undercover agent Jan. 8 saying, "Wouldn't mind spending the night somewhere," records show.
The woman said she left the vehicle running because she anticipated a short visit at the business.Â
He reached out April 1, saying there was a chance he would be in Ohio the following week, according to the charges, and sent a link from the dark web, a nude photo of a child and three photos of girls in swim suits he claims to have taken.
"There will be many skittles I promise you that," he allegedly wrote after being told the girl liked the candy.
