Utah mom warns of pedophiles lurking on MySpace
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Posted: 8:15 AM- A Utah mother checking her MySpace Internet account recently says she made a shocking discovery - an unsolicited posting offering a so-called "safe haven" for pedophiles.

Chellie Ehrhart told KUTV that anyone who surfs the web could stumble onto, or even be solicited by the website. And, while the site is disturbing, it apparently is not illegal.

"I had this post that talks about a website that's pretty much a safe haven for pedophiles," Ehrhart says.

Ken Wallentine - chief of is over the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce - says the incident is a good reminder of what, and who, is on MySpace.

"We did a random study one day last fall, in October and found over 600 registered sex offenders with myspace pages using their own names," Wallentine says.

That doesn't include those who use false names, or those who have never been convicted. Wallentine says it's a reason to worry and to take action.

"There is no substitute for parents being parents," he says.

Shutting down the pedophile site apparently is not an option right now; it's located in Amsterdam, outside the reach of U.S. law.

Article Tools

Enter a search phrase.

Specify a Range

From  to

 

 
Missing your paper? Need to place your paper on vacation hold? For this and any other subscription related needs, click here or call 801.204.6100.