PANAMA CITY BEACH — Police have arrested a 59-year-old man who allegedly believed he was meeting a 14-year-old boy for sex, the Panama City Beach Police Department announced Wednesday.
David William Clanton was arrested after allegedly organizing a sexual encounter with a boy over the Internet. While Clanton believed he was communicating with a minor, investigators staged the meeting and arrested him, according to PCBPD officials.
During the course of the investigation, Clanton allegedly sent nude digital images of himself to a person he believed to be a 14-year-old. He then agreed to travel to the minor’s residence for a sexual encounter, PCBPD reported.
When Clanton arrived, though, officers lifted their veil and arrested Clanton without incident. Clanton was later taken to the Bay County Jail on charges of traveling to meet a minor for a unlawful sexual act, soliciting a minor with an electronic device to engage in a sexual act and transmission of harmful material to minors, police reported.