Charge: Man used ‘Call of Duty’ to pick up King County boys
King County prosecutors have filed charges against a man accused of soliciting sexual photos from children while playing a “Call of Duty” video game online with them.
Filing four felony counts against New Jersey resident Jonathan Prime, prosecutors contend the 20-year-old sought and received explicit photos at least four young teens, including at least one King County youth.
According to charging documents, Prime met the children while playing “Call of Duty: World at War” – the 2008 installment in the “Call of Duty” series extremely popular with online gamers.
Speaking with King County sheriff’s detectives, one of the boys said Prime approached him through a mutual friend in late 2008.
At the time, the boy told investigators he had been playing the first-person shooter with several friends. They spoke to each other during the games – players often use headsets to do so – and got to know several people they hadn’t met in person, including Prime.
While the conversations were at first “regular,” the boy told investigators Prime eventually sought more personal information from boys and began at some point speaking to them by telephone.
Writing the court, a King County detective said Prime told the boys – aged 13 to 14 at the time – he planned to start a “clan” in the online game, essentially a team. To join the group, the detective alleged, the boys would have to send Prime photos of their genitals.
While some declined to do so at first, investigators contend at least four of the youths sent Prime photos of themselves.
Prosecutors contend Prime requested additional explicit photos of one of the boys and engaged in phone sex with the youth.
Confronted by investigators, Prime claimed he believed the boys to be 14 or 15, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carol Spoor told the court.
“The defendant knew they were 14 years old because the victims often talked about school,” Spoor continued. “The defendant reported that his ‘clan’ included boys aged 13-24 and most of the boys sent pictures to him.”
Charging Prime with four counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, King County prosecutors note that Prime was previously convicted in New Jersey on a child pornography charge related to the case.
Prime has been ordered held on $25,000 bail.