Brian Smith
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday for a Berea College student accused of propositioning a 14-year-old girl for sex via text message.
Sarah E. Wilson, 20, is facing a felony charge of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual activity and a misdemeanor third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor charge.
Wilson allegedly traded text messages regarding sexual activity with a Berea Police Department detective posing as the girl, according to a copy of the criminal complaint.
The messages sought to have the girl meet Wilson at her dorm room in Elizabeth Rogers Residence Hall on the university’s campus, the complaint states.
The girl had been forbidden by her parents from having contact with Wilson, according to the arrest warrant.
Wilson was lodged in the Madison County Detention Center in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond after her Nov. 13 arrest, court records indicate. She still is listed as a student in the college’s directory.
Berea police spokesman Capt. Ken Clark said after Wilson’s arrest that the investigation stemmed from a complaint by the girl’s parents.
“One of our officers texted this person back, and we developed enough probable cause to get a warrant to charge her,” Clark told the Register.
The arrest warrant in the case was obtained by Detective LeAnn Boyle, according to court records.
Madison District Judge Charles Hardin will determine following the hearing if probable cause exists to send the charges to a Madison County grand jury.
The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Madison Hall of Justice in Richmond.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
