A former U.S. Army recruiter in Colorado is facing charges after allegedly soliciting girls as young as 10 years old for sex, according to Arapahoe County authorities.
Suspect Ken Hardcastle allegedly used dating websites and social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, to try to lure young girls to perform sexual acts and he also interacted with high school girls in an Army recruiting capacity, the Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.
Authorities are worried there may be more victims and are hoping those who may have interacted with Hardcastle will come forward. They’re urging parents to check their children’s social media sites to find out if they’ve had contact with him, noting that he used the name “Batman” on social sites.
"I recommend any parent that has a kid, a juvenile under the age of 18 or even 18, check your kid's phones," Arapahoe County Sgt. Nick Rodriguez said, according to KCNC-TV.
"Don't be afraid to know their passwords, don't be afraid to go through their text messages, their pictures, their social media sites. Pay attention to what they're doing," Rodriguez urged.
Hardcastle was arrested Monday and charged with felony counts of internet luring of a child and internet sex exploitation of a child, KCNC reported.
He was arraigned Tuesday and given a $10,000 bond.
An Army spokesperson confirmed to the news station that Hardcastle was a recruiter in Fort Collins since 2015 but was suspended from recruiting duties in August 2018 for causes unrelated to the case.
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