California man gets 10 years for enticing Centerville teen

A California man convicted of trying to entice a 13-year-old Utah girl to his home to engage in sexual activity was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday.

Robert Davison, 41, was indicted in federal court in March of knowingly attempting to coerce a minor into engaging in sexual activity using interstate commerce, in this case, the Internet. Davison first met his Centerville victim through the video game "World of Warcraft," but their relationship moved to Internet chats conducted through instant messaging.

The relationship culminated in Davison making arrangements for a bus ticket to transport the girl to his California home, but police were able to locate her at a bus station one hour before her bus was to depart.

Though the 10-year sentence was the minimum required under the current statute, federal prosecutor Trina Higgins said it was important to note that Davison's crime was more egregious than others. She said while some of these cases involve law enforcement posing as teenagers, this case involved a real girl that Davison made arrangements to meet, despite the fact that he knew she was 13 years old. She said he continued this behavior even though the girl's parents had called him and told him to leave their daughter alone.

Davison was also sentenced to 20 years of supervised release, which included special terms that forbid any contact with his victim or possession of any material that is sexually explicit. He was also ordered to pay $5,502 in restitution to pay for the psychiatric care required by his victim.

— Emiley Morgan