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Thursday, March 27, 2008

WEB|WISE|KIDS: Ambassador to Youth

Katie was only 15 when she met 22-year old John in an Internet chat room. Katie and John immediately began emailing each other several times a day. Before long, Katie was convinced they were in love.

A few weeks into the relationship, John told Katie that he was ready to meet her in person. While Katie was eager to spend time with her “boyfriend”, Katie’s parents were horrified by the idea of John coming to their home.

Katie’s father, concerned that Katie might leave home to be with John against her parent’s wishes, went to the police for help. An officer gave him a copy of the MISSING game and suggested that the family play it together.

After playing the MISSING game, Katie realized for herself that John was not a friend, but a child predator. Katie’s family notified the police of their suspicions and shortly afterward the San Francisco Police Department discovered that John was the primary suspect in the rape of a 13-year old girl. The younger girl had also met John in an Internet chat room. Without a doubt, John was planning for Katie to be his next victim.

Katie turned over all of the gifts, letters and computer files she had from John. She also appeared at John’s trial to present testimony about the method he used to try to seduce her — not surprisingly it was the same method he had used with his 13-year old victim. With Katie’s supporting evidence, John was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

MISSING reached Katie at her own level and caused her to re-evaluate her relationship with John in time to prevent disaster.

Ambassador to Youth

Katie is now the Ambassador to Youth for Web Wise Kids. She shares her powerful first-hand testimony with other young teens and parents to let them know that what happened to her and her family can also happen to them. She is sought after for television, radio and print interviews and has testified before state congressional hearings. Please contact us if you are interested in scheduling her speak.

http://www.webwisekids.org/index.asp?page=katiesStory

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