February 6, 2008
Purdue employee arrested on child solicitation charge
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue police arrested a university employee Wednesday (Feb. 6) for allegedly attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.Wesley W. Cook, 29, 620 Stockbridge Lane, Lafayette, was charged with child solicitation. He has been temporarily suspended from his position as an in-house design project manager in the Office of the University Architect.
Police Lt. Fred Davis said Cook was involved in an online chat with Purdue police Sgt. Carrie Costello, whom Cook believed was a 13-year-old girl.
"He expressed interest in having sex and requested an address to meet," Davis said. "When he showed up at the time they set, he was arrested."
Cook was taken to the Tippecanoe County Jail, and bond was set at $10,000.
Child solicitation is a Class C felony and is punishable by up to10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.
Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 496-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu
Source: Fred Davis, (765) 494-8221, fvdavis@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
To the News Service home page