Milwaukee man arrested for trying to meet 15-year-old girl for sex in Racine

RACINE COUNTY -- A 31-year-old Milwaukee man who believed  he was meeting up with a 15-year-old girl in Racine for sex, was arrested Monday, June 19th.

Matteo Garcia

According to the Racine County Sheriff's Office, around 4:00 p.m. Monday, Matteo Garcia, 31, was arrested for attempted second degree sexual assault of a child, use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, and attempted child enticement.

Officials say Garcia traveled from Milwaukee to Racine with the intent to meet with a 15-year-old girl for sex. Garcia had been chatting online with a Racine County Sheriff's Investigator since February of 2017. The investigator was posing as a 15-year-old girl. During the conversations, Garcia asks about taking the girl’s virginity and buying her Plan B as birth control.

When Garcia was taken into custody, search warrants were served on his cell phone and his residence in Milwaukee. Officials say multiple images of child pornography were obtained at his residence and on his cell phone.

Authorities say Garcia admitted to being in possession of child pornography and stated, "I've always been attracted to minors."

"Our elite ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Detectives were able to halt what could have been a heinous crime against a young child, stop a parent’s worst nightmare from becoming reality, and get the lowest of low criminals behind bars and off our streets," said Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, Racine County Police Department.

This incident is still under investigation by the Racine County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau.