The Citizen staff report
A 30-year-old Auburn man was arrested by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office last Wednesday for having sexually explicit online conversations and expressing interest in traveling to Rochester to have sex with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
Prashant A. Agarwal, 30, of 6743 Butera Drive, Auburn, was charged with first-degree attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor, a felony. Agarwal is the owner of the two Dunkin' Donuts stores in Auburn.
Between April 8 and April 25, a Monroe County Sheriff's deputy posing as a minor conversed with Agarwal online using Internet chat rooms. Agarwal was sexually explicit in his conversations and invited the deputy, whom he believed to be a young girl, to meet him.
Last Wednesday, Agarwal traveled to Rochester and met the deputy at an agreed upon location. He was taken into custody and was arraigned in Chili Town Court and remanded to jail on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. Agarwal was released early Thursday morning on bail. His case will likely be transferred to Monroe County Court.
Sheriff's Cpl. John Helfer said the office has an online task force comprised of officers who routinely visit chat rooms and pose as minors.
"It's a routine type of activity that we do," Helfer said.
Agarwal, of Auburn, owns the two local Dunkin' Donuts franchises and a franchise on Waterloo Road in Seneca Falls. Agarwal could not be reached for comment Monday.
Prashant A. Agarwal, 30, of 6743 Butera Drive, Auburn, was charged with first-degree attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor, a felony. Agarwal is the owner of the two Dunkin' Donuts stores in Auburn.
Between April 8 and April 25, a Monroe County Sheriff's deputy posing as a minor conversed with Agarwal online using Internet chat rooms. Agarwal was sexually explicit in his conversations and invited the deputy, whom he believed to be a young girl, to meet him.
Last Wednesday, Agarwal traveled to Rochester and met the deputy at an agreed upon location. He was taken into custody and was arraigned in Chili Town Court and remanded to jail on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. Agarwal was released early Thursday morning on bail. His case will likely be transferred to Monroe County Court.
Sheriff's Cpl. John Helfer said the office has an online task force comprised of officers who routinely visit chat rooms and pose as minors.
"It's a routine type of activity that we do," Helfer said.
Agarwal, of Auburn, owns the two local Dunkin' Donuts franchises and a franchise on Waterloo Road in Seneca Falls. Agarwal could not be reached for comment Monday.
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