KINGMAN – The youngest of more than two dozen defendants charged in a Mohave County Sheriff’s office sex offender sting investigation has been given the lightest punishment. Men from Parker to Las Vegas have been indicted over the last two years for engaging in social media and text communications with someone they believed was a 13-year-old girl who was actually a male adult detective.
The only two defendants taking their cases to trial both were sent to prison for more than 30 years. Many who resolved their cases short of trial through plea agreements ended up with 5-10-year prison terms.
18-year-old Robbie Woodruff was convicted of attempted luring of a minor for sexual exploitation. Woodruff escaped jail and prison time when Judge Doug Camacho placed him on probation for three years during a Tuesday sentencing hearing.
Defense attorney Ken Sondgeroth said Woodruff, a resident of Georgia, was visiting family in Kingman when he got snared in the operation targeting adult males inclined to prey upon minors for sex. Prosecutor Jacob Cote said Woodruff drove to an arranged meeting place to hook up with the teenager, but that he never exited his vehicle and drove away before he was pulled over by law enforcement.
Woodruff’s father told the Court that he had already punished his son. The man said his son had been spanked and forced to give up his cell phone.
Camacho said Woodruff’s age clearly separated him from the many middle aged and elderly defendants who sought minors for sex. Camacho scheduled a hearing next Feb. to evaluate how well Woodruff is doing with probation.
Dave Hawkins