NEW RIVER, AZ — A registered sex offender was arrested by the Tempe Police Department after an investigation revealed he was attempting to meet with a teen girl and pay for sex.
According to Tempe police, 41-year-old Kenneth Nelson was taken into custody by the department's Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives and Special Agents with the Attorney General's Office at his home in New River around noon on Thursday.
During their investigation, detectives learned that Nelson was arranging to meet with a 14-year-old girl and pay $500 in cash for the purposes of having a sexual encounter with her for one hour. Police said Nelson was also seeking sexual encounters with children as young as an infant to ten years of age and agreed to pay additional money for sex with those children.
Nelson, who is also a registered sex offender, is facing charges of attempted child sex trafficking and attempted sexual conduct with a minor.
An investigation is ongoing to determine if there will be additional charges.
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