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Washington man arrested en route to rendezvous with 12-year-old girl in Abbotsford

Undercover officer responds to online ad, leading to charges against Christopher David Johnston, 39
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Christopher David Johnston

A 39-year-old Ferndale, Washington man was arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border yesterday (Friday) as he was on his way to allegedly meet up for sex with a girl he believed to be 12 years old and living in Abbotsford.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that Christopher David Johnston has now been charged with attempted enticement of a minor.

According to the criminal complaint, Johnston began communicating online this month with a person who responded to a personal ad he had placed on Craigslist seeking a “young lady to spoil.”

An undercover officer responded to the ad, pretending to be a young girl who was not yet 13 years old.

The complaint alleges that Johnston engaged in increasingly sexualized emails, texts and chats, ultimately arranging to meet the “child” in Abbotsford.

Via text message, he told the girl that he was planning on crossing the border illegally to meet her in Canada, the complaint states.

Johnston was arrested in the U.S. as he was on his bicycle approaching the border near Sumas.

Attempted enticement of a minor is subject to a mandatory minimum jail term of 10 years, and as much as a life sentence.