Affidavit: Church computer used in chat

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) - A Chesapeake pastor recently arrested for computer solicitation committed the crime at the church he worked at, according to deputies.

In an affidavit obtained by WAVY.com, a Spotsylvania County sheriff’s deputy and detective conducted an undercover chat investigation July 18, 2012. The deputy went into a Yahoo! chat room and was messaged by a user with the screen name “chiefmojorisin420.”

At first, the chatting was not criminal, the affidavit said. The suspect, later identified as Haden Conrad, said he was a married man who lived about two hours away from the deputy, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. The suspect was told he was speaking with a teen.

Document: Affidavit (Warning: May contain adult or offensive language)

The next day, the deputy was messaged by the same suspect and the suspect was again told he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl.

According to the affidavit, the deputy sent the suspect a decoy photograph of herself when she was younger and the suspect then sent a non-sexual photograph of himself fishing.

The affidavit says the suspect requested the deputy send him a photograph of her with a sign that said “hi chiefmojorising420” to ensure she was not a “50 year old fat guy.”

The detective took a photo of the deputy holding the sign and sent it to the suspect. That was when the subject of the chat became sexual in nature.

Investigators say the suspect asked the deputy, still posing as a teenager, if she wanted sexually explicit things done to her. He also requested more pictures and began to talk about meeting the deputy.

“The subject then said he might turn on his webcam and subsequently did,” the affidavit read. “A video snapshot was recorded and appeared to be a commercial bathroom. The subject advised that it was a private bathroom next to his office.”

Conrad was the pastor at Chesapeake Avenue United Methodist Church, located at 1200 Chesapeake Ave.

During the chat, the suspect asked to talk with the deputy and was given an undercover cell phone number. The deputy spoke with the suspect and watched as he exposed himself via webcam and performed a sex act on himself.

The chatting continued on the following days. The affidavit says the suspect asked for more pictures and spoke about picking the deputy up for sex.

A subpoena was later sent for the IP addresses and the individuals they belonged to. One belonged to the home of Conrad, while the other belonged to Chesapeake Avenue United Methodist Church, the affidavit said.

Document: Search warrant

Deputies in Spotsylvania contacted the Chesapeake Police Department, who executed a search warrant on Conrad’s home as well as the church. Several phones, computers and other devices were seized.

10 On Your Side asked Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office Capt. Jeffery Pearce why the arrest took so long.

"It does take some time," Pearce said. "You can't just take for granted that just because it's coming from a particular IP address or coming from someone who says they are a certain person... you have to be able to prove the case." 

Conrad was charged  last week with computer solicitation of a child under the age of 15.