A 38-year-old man from Pembroke Pines was detained after attempting to meet with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sexual activities, authorities said. According to NBC Miami, authorities identified the culprit as Luis Miguel Manrique, who was arrested Tuesday after conversing with an undercover officer acting as a teenage girl during a Miami police operation targeting cyber crimes against children.
According to Local 10, Manrique exchanged multiple graphic conversations with an undercover investigator and decided to meet in Miami. Investigators say he also offered to buy a McDonald’s Happy Meal for the person he thought was a teenager, which officials described as an effort at grooming. Manrique sent a message after learning of the teen’s alleged age, stating that he would care for him.
Authorities said the investigation highlighted ongoing law enforcement efforts to combat adults who try to exploit youngsters online. Manrique was arrested after driving to the agreed-upon meeting site and being met by detectives rather than the person he thought was a minor. Police said he now faces many charges, including using a computer to solicit or travel to meet a minor and showing obscene content to a kid.
Manrique also begged the undercover detective to remove the text messages and images he had sent, purportedly admitting that his actions were inappropriate. Police say he eventually admitted to the behavior after being arrested. Manrique was put into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, where jail records show his bond was marked as “to be set,” according to Local 10.
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