A 27-year-old man was arrested in late May because the 13-year-old girl he thought he was talking to online was actually a Wright City police officer.Dillon E. Horstdaniel, of Wright City, is charged with attempted enticement of a child, a felony.On May 24, a police detective posing as a young girl exchanged private messages with Horstdaniel, according to Wright City police.Horstdaniel asked how old the girl was, and the officer replied 13 years old. The conversation then became sexual in nature, according to police. Horstdaniel allegedly made several explicit statements about sexual acts and then asked to meet the girl.He reportedly stated “You know I am older than you, like double your age. ... I can get in big trouble, I’m so nervous about that.”They arranged to meet at the Wright City Post Office that day.After observing Horstdaniel arrive in the parking lot of the post office, the police detective confronted him and asked if he had been chatting with a 13-year-old girl. Horstdaniel allegedly replied “I was just trying to figure out who she was.”A warrant for his arrest was issued by the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office May 30 and Horstdaniel was taken into custody. He is being held in lieu of a $75,000 bond. An arraignment was scheduled for June 6 in Warren County Circuit Court.If convicted, the authorized prison sentence for child enticement is five to 30 years. Those convicted are not eligible for probation or parole for the first five years of their sentence.Missouri law also specifically states that defendants in a child enticement case don’t receive any leeway just because the “child” being enticed turns out to be a law enforcement officer.

Dillon Horstdaniel