Man, 63, Arrested in Internet Sex Sting

A 63-year-old man was arrested at an Oxnard park Friday on suspicion of soliciting sex with a fictitious 13-year-old girl over the Internet, authorities said.

John Robert Simmons of Oxnard was being held at the Oxnard police station on suspicion of an attempted lewd act with a child under 14, police said.

Simmons was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. at Rio Lindo Park at Rio Lindo Street and Princeton Avenue when he arrived for a meeting with the fictitious girl, police said.

Det. Mike Adair, who posed as the girl during the undercover operation, met Simmons in an Internet chat room about two months ago, Sgt. Lee Wilcox said.

Simmons had planned to meet the girl at the park and take her to a Santa Barbara motel room to have sex, Wilcox said.

During online conversations with Adair, Simmons talked about wanting to engage in sexual acts and electronically mailed the detective a pornographic movie, Wilcox said.

Officers served a search warrant at Simmons’ house in Oxnard and seized his computer, Wilcox said.

As of late Friday night, he had not been booked into County Jail and bail had not been set.