Man arrested in Craigslist sting

Officers arrested a Brea man who allegedly tried to pay a fictitious 13-year-old girl he met on Craigslist to have sex with him, officials said.

Venson Villapando, 25, is suspected of driving to Huntington Beach to have sex with an underage girl Dec. 22, but was met with Huntington Beach police officers instead.

Officers posed as an 13-year-old girl and chatted with Villapando for several days before he agreed to pay $100 to have sexual intercourse with her, officials said.

Lt. Russell Reinhart said he can’t go into specific details about the online chatting, because the department wants to continue the operation.

Officers have been working to catch child predators for several years and make a couple of arrests a year, Reinhart said.

Officers have special training to take part in this kind of police activity and do other similar activities on Craigslist to catch prostitutes.

— Britney Barnes