North Dakota man in custody after online scheme to meet 'teen' goes sideways 

Image by Pexels
Image by Pexels

(Beulah, ND)  --  A Beulah man is behind bars on charges he tried to lure and solicit minors for sex over the internet.  

Police say 51-year-old Shawn McLaughlin is accused of messaging what he thought was a 16-year-old girl for over a five-month period.  

He allegedly tried to arrange a face-to-face meeting for sex at a local park, running away when he encountered law-enforcement officers waiting for him.  

He was later arrested and charged with two counts of luring minors over the computer and a single count of solicitation.