Marlborough police arrest man they say tried to meet 13-year-old girl for sex
MARLBOROUGH — A local man has been charged with trying to meet a 13-year-old girl he "met" online for sex, authorities said.
However, the "girl" was actually a member of an online organization called Online Predator Exposure and was actually an adult.
When Richard H. Merrill, 61, showed up at Marlborough High School at 2 p.m. last Saturday, he was greeted by members of Online Predator Exposure and Marlborough police officers.
"The individual posing as a 13-year-old female exchanged messages where Merrill indicated he wanted to engage in sexual relations with her," police spokesman Sgt. Zachary Attaway said. "The source provided all chat logs to the department dealing with the sexual advances Merrill wanted to perform when they met."
When confronted by the group, according to a video of the encounter posted on YouTube, Merrill admitted he had gone to Marlborough High School to meet a teenage girl named "Summer." Merrill denied he was planning to have sex with the girl, but said he could not remember why he was going to meet her.
More:Marlborough man faces two counts of possession of child pornography
Attaway said Merrill showed "several signs" of intoxication. Merrill admitted to drinking and the video shows an open beer can in the cupholder of Merrill's car.
Police arrested Merrill, who has no fixed address, and charged him with enticement of a child; operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor (third offense); driving with a license suspended for drunken driving; and driving with a suspended license (subsequent offense).
Merrill was ordered held on $1,000 bail Monday at his Marlborough District Court arraignment. He is due back in court Jan. 4 for a pretrial conference.
Merrill's lawyer, Michael Perpall, declined to comment on the case.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Man charged with child enticement after online sting in Marlborough
