Audio By Carbonatix
Reader support matters more than ever
We're in the final stretch of our summer campaign. Our goal is to raise $15,000 by August 9 to support the journalism our community relies on. Reader support is helping shape the future of local news.
There are lots of fun things to use Craigslist for, but sending pictures of your junk to 16-year-old girls should not be one of them. Apparently, police suspect, Joshua Vehmeier thinks otherwise.
Tempe PD arrested Vehmeier, 22, on Wednesday and charged him with sexual exploitation of a minor and furnishing harmful items to a minor — the “junk mail” (twig and berries photo).
The young girl had posted an ad on Craigslist at the end of February looking for a job babysitting and, according to a police report, the two had a few e-mail exchanges. It seems that Vehmeier thought he’d throw in a couple of explicit photos before he checked the girl’s references. The girl’s mother contacted police and shared the e-mails.
Tempe PD said they later got a search warrant and checked Vehmeier’s house and computer and — surprise — found kiddy porn. Vehmeier is being held in Maricopa County jail awaiting a court hearing.
