Man convicted of enticing child arrested again

He allegedly didn’t have permission to use Web site to meet woman


WAILUKU — A Kula man, who had been free on bail while appealing his conviction for electronic enticement of a child, was taken into custody Thursday after telling his probation officer he had sex last month with a teenager he met in an Internet chat room.

Finding that Robert McKnight Jr. had violated requirements of his bail, 2nd Circuit Judge Joel August ordered that the 39-year-old begin serving the one-year jail term that had been suspended pending his appeal.

Last September, McKnight became the first person in the state to be convicted of first-degree electronic enticement of a child.

The charge can be brought when someone uses a computer or other electronic device to communicate with a juvenile and, with the intention of committing a felony, goes to an arranged meeting place.

Evidence at the trial included McKnight’s explicit sexual Internet chats and three telephone calls with an undercover state law enforcement agent posing as a 15-year-old girl.

Known online as atropical_-knight, McKnight initiated contact with the agent posing as “Chyla” in an Internet “romance room” on June 13, 2006. Twice, McKnight used a Web camera to sexually expose himself and masturbate to the girl white chatting online with her, according to evidence presented at the trial.

McKnight bought an airline ticket for the girl to travel from Oahu to Maui, and was arrested July 6, 2006, when he went to Kahului Airport to meet her.

In November, McKnight was sentenced to a one-year jail term as part of five years’ probation. But he was allowed to remain free on $20,000 bail after his attorney said the conviction would be appealed.

Among the conditions of McKnight’s bail was the requirement that he obtain approval from his probation officer before using the Internet, said Deputy Attorney General Albert Cook. He said McKnight was supposed to report what Web sites he planned to visit and get approval.

But at a Feb. 19 meeting with his probation officer, McKnight admitted he had used the Internet Feb. 3 to gain access to a Yahoo chat room where he met an 18-year-old female high school student, whom he later had sex with, Cook said. He said McKnight hadn’t gotten approval from his probation officer to use the Internet to visit the Yahoo Web site.

Because the student was an adult, according to McKnight, the sexual contact wasn’t illegal, Cook said. But he said McKnight had violated a condition of his bail by not telling his probation officer in advance and not seeking approval to gain access to the Web site.

Defense attorney Chris Dunn argued that McKnight hadn’t violated court requirements. Dunn said the condition requiring McKnight to report his Internet activity was “ambiguous” about whether he needed prior approval, or just needed to report what he did.

“There was no new illegality, no new crime,” Dunn said. “The person he had the relationship with was an adult.”

But August found that McKnight had violated the terms and conditions of his bail. The judge revoked McKnight’s bail and ordered that he begin serving the one-year jail term.

McKnight has filed a notice that he intends to appeal his conviction.

Since McKnight’s trial, three other cases involving electronic enticement of a child have gone to trial in the state, Cook said.

Someone convicted of first-degree electronic enticement of a child could face a 10-year prison term. In 2006, the state Legislature required that anyone convicted of the crime be sentenced to at least a one-year jail term.

“It’s illegal,” Cook said. “If we catch you, we’re going to arrest you, prosecute you and put you in jail. Apparently, some people aren’t getting the message.”