Police: Phoenix man, 40, posted online ads to lure teens

Phoenix police arrested a 40-year-old man after detectives said he was going online and trying to talk underage girls into engaging in sexual activity, according to court documents.

Investigators said Joshua Ethan Reed had posted more than 360 ads on various sites asking for "young girls," "teen girls," and girls of "all ages" to engage in sexual activity with him, according to court records.

It was an ad that police said Reed posted in January that launched the investigation, police said.

A detective with a task force targeting Internet crimes against children noticed an ad in mid-January from a person who was looking for a teen girl who enjoyed receiving oral sex, according to court documents. An investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl responded to the ad and began engaging in online chats with the person who posted the ad.

Investigators later identified Reed as the person behind the post, according to court documents.

The online conversations between the undercover officer and Reed included exchanges in January, February and early March in which Reed tried to arrange a meeting with the girl and attempted to overcome any concerns about possible pregnancy, according to a police report.

Detectives later found more than 360 ads that Reed had posted looking for girls who would engage in sexual activity with him, police said.

Reed told officers after his arrest that he did not believe his activities were illegal because he had no real intention of meeting the girls.

"Joshua stated that he did not believe that there should be any punishment for adults luring a minor for the purposes of sexual exploitation," police said.

Reed arrested on suspicion of luring a minor for sexual exploitation and was being held on a $10,000 bond, according to court records.