Mitchell man pleads guilty to soliciting minor, a 14-year-old girl

A Mitchell man pleaded guilty Tuesday to solicitation of a minor.

Alec Thraen, 19, was text-messaging a 14-year-old girl on Sept. 19 and 20 regarding prohibited sexual acts, which included having sexual intercourse.

According to court records, Thraen was corresponding with the girl, and law enforcement intervened when the issue was brought to them. Investigator Toby Russell posed as the girl with permission from the girl’s parents.

He sent text messages to Thraen and Thraen responded, using the girl’s first name and the cell phone number Russell knew to be Thraen’s, according to court records. Russell made arrangements to meet Thraen the afternoon of Sept. 20, the same day he was in court for a separate sexual contact charge. As Thraen walked out of his apartment building at the arranged time, law enforcement took him into custody and confiscated his cell phone as evidence. Judge Sean O’Brien scheduled sentencing for both charges for Nov. 29.

Tags: sexual contact, news, crime, local, mitchell