A 36-year-old Vancouver man accused of trying to solicit sex from underage girls online made a first appearance Friday in Clark County Superior Court.
Mason J. Thomas appeared on suspicion of commercial sex abuse of a minor, attempted second-degree rape of a child, communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and possession of a controlled substance, court dockets show.
Between February and March, Thomas allegedly contacted three different girls between the ages of 13 and 15 via an online social site. He contacted the girls through an account posing as a 15-year-old boy, and went by the names Jason and Jeremy. Thomas tried to engage the girls in sexual chats and also solicited sex in exchange for money and drugs, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
One of the victims may live in Ferndale, court records show.
The Vancouver Police Department received several cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the accounts, in which the poster had also claimed to be 21 years old in separate chats and made references to being able to drive, the affidavit said.
Police then set up an undercover operation on the site, posing as a 13-year-old girl. An account, believed to be operated by Thomas, contacted the sting account, but Thomas allegedly later said he didn’t believe the girl was who she said she was, according to court documents.
Investigators set up a second undercover account and this time received messages purportedly from Thomas posing as a 15-year-old named Rob. “Rob” believed he was talking with a 13-year-old girl and tried to engage in a sexual chat and solicit sex for money and video games, the affidavit said.
Police eventually traced the accounts to an Internet address belonging to Thomas and discovered child pornography files, court records said.
They then arranged to meet with him at a business, where he allegedly had been led to believe he would pick up the 13-year-old girl to have sex for money. He was subsequently arrested, according to court documents.
While serving a search warrant at Thomas’ residence, investigators said they found residue in two ceramic bowls and on a spoon that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, according to court records.
On Friday, Judge Robert Lewis set Thomas’ bail at $150,000. Thomas will hire his own attorney.
He will be arraigned May 6.
