By Tim Clifford

On Wed., May 10, the Burien Police Department took to Twitter and Facebook to announce the arrest of 29-year-old Marcus Enriquez following an online sting operation to catch child predators. Enriquez had begun corresponding with a male undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl on social media and eventually asked to meet for a sexual encounter.

Less than two weeks ago Burien PD opened up an account on social media (the platform was kept undisclosed) posing as a 15-year-old girl living in Burien. Within mere minutes of the account going live Enriquez, along with numerous other adult males who currently have yet to arrange a meeting, began sending messages asking for verification of the sex, age and address of the girl. It was just a matter of hours before he began sending naked pictures of himself to the account along with sexually graphic messages.

On May 6 the undercover officer messaged Enriquez saying that they should meet at a popular business in downtown Burien. Burien PD has decided not to reveal the name of the business since their selection as a meeting place was completely arbitrary and they had nothing to do with the investigation.
When the suspect arrived in the business’s parking lot he was immediately arrested and taken into custody. He confessed to being there to meet a 15-year-old for sex and provided a laundry list of excuses for his decision including a rough childhood and his addiction to sex.

Little so far is actually known about Enriquez other than the fact that he lives in Everett and apparently has a history in the military. It was unclear at this time which branch of service he was in and whether or not he is currently active.

Officers arrested Enriquez on charges of Communicating with a Minor for Immoral Purposes and a third degree charge of Attempted Rape of a Child. Both offenses are felonies. So far Enriquez has been charged with the Communication felony but prosecutors have not yet decided how to proceed with the Attempted Rape charge.

The suspect’s car and cell phone were also seized at the scene. Inside Enriquez’s car officers found condoms. His phone has yet to be searched.

Enriquez is currently booked at the King County Jail and is being held on $75,000 bail.

“We just want the word to get out that if these guys are interacting with a minor on social media in Burien they should just stay away and assume it’s us,” explained Cpt. Bryan Howard of the Burien PD. Howard explained that the department plans to use the account for pedophile “fishing” on a semi-regular basis throughout the year.

According to Cpt. Howard the most unsettling aspect of this bust was the quick response that the fake profile garnered. As he explained the account does not contain any suggestive pictures or lewd descriptions. The character that the profile presents is that of an average teenager who happens to live in Burien. Unlike prostitution stings that Burien PD has been involved in before this profile is not actively searching out for a sexual encounter.

Yet Enriquez is only one of the numerous men who immediately contacted the profile and made the (fake) 15-year-old girl the object of their lust.

Both Cpt. Howard and Sgt. Stan Seo with the King County Sheriff’s Office commended the undercover officer for his quick work with the arrest and his handling of the investigation.