When Gary Willis Brown was asked by an undercover law enforcement officer if he wanted to have sex with a 5-year-old, 8-year-old or 12-year-old girl, he allegedly chose the 8-year-old and asked if he could pay an extra $100 to videotape the act, according to charges filed this week in Ramsey County District Court.
Brown, 58, of Apple Valley, is now facing a felony charge of offering to hire a minor to engage in prostitution after an Aug. 29 sting conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
According to the criminal complaint, a confidential informant told a BCA agent that Brown wanted to have sex with a child. The informant and agent told Brown that a family would agree to let him have sex with a girl for $300. They arranged to meet at a hotel on Old Hudson Road in St. Paul and Brown was told to bring candy for the girl.
Brown arrived at the hotel about 12:30 p.m. wearing a large hat and carrying a bag that contained a video camera, tape, bags of candy and lubricant. Brown had previously said that he didn't want his face shown in the video, the complaint said. After he returned from his car with money, Brown was arrested.
Brown told police that he wouldn't have set up the deal if he hadn't been contacted by the informant, the complaint said. After further questioning, he said that he had brought up the subject about 15 years ago and he had continued calling the informant once she had called him about having sex with a child. He said he was stupid for doing so. Brown allegedly said that he wanted to videotape the act for his personal use and didn't intend to distribute the video on the Internet.
Brown will appear in court next Thursday.
LORA PABST
