Rush County Man Tried Meeting Up With 13-Year-Old Girl

RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ind. — A Rush County man is arrested for trying to meet up with a 13-year-old girl for sex while comparing himself to SpongeBob.

According to court documents, James A. Raber, 63, was charged last week in Randolph County Court with attempted child molesting and child solicitation.

Raber, who believed he was having conversations with a 13-year-old girl on Facebook Messenger, was actually conversing with a Randolph County sheriff’s deputy. The fake profile “Steph” told Raber they were planning on running away from home. That’s when the conversation turned sexual.

Chat logs show Raber would repeatedly ask the fake girl about sexual activities and if she had ever drank alcohol before. Authorities then say Raber would ask about meeting up with the girl.

This is how investigators say he described himself to her:

“Now I’m a very big tall guy, 6’4″, 295lbs. I’m built like SpongeBob. So if you ever had a fantasy about f***ing or s***ing SpongeBob, that’s me.”

The fake profile then arranged a meeting between Raber and “Steph” for May 29 at a Village Pantry in Farmland.

Last week, Raber messaged the account saying he was parked at a bar in Farmland and was waiting to pick up the girl at the nearby Village Pantry. When the account messaged back about an hour later, Raber arrived at the Village Pantry and was taken into custody without incident.

Raber has since been booked into the Randolph County Jail. An initial hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

According to online court records, Raber has an extensive criminal history mostly made up of traffic violations. He has been convicted of driving while intoxicated at least three times since 2004.