Before we get to the heart of the story, I have to go on another one of my rants about the term ‘having sex’ when it comes to minors who can not legally consent to sex. WMUR in New Hampshire used the headline ‘Police say California man met NH girl on Snapchat, arranged sexual encounter’, while Fox 25 in Boston used ‘Police: Man used Snapchat to have sexual relationship with 14-year-old’. This story is neither about an encounter nor a relationship, it’s about an alleged sexual predator who used deception in order to ‘have sex’ with a minor who could not legally consent to sex. When did we stop calling this rape, statutory or otherwise? But again, I digress.

27-year-old Jonathan Christy, of Placentia, California, is said to have met a 14-year-old New Hampshire girl on Snapchat. He reportedly bought the girl a cellphone before he flew across the country to meet her in New Hampshire. He then picked her up from her middle school where he allegedly ‘had sex’ with her in his hotel room, or in more proper terms, where he allegedly raped her. He then left town shortly thereafter.

You can’t tell me that someone who bought a girl a cell phone that her parents wouldn’t know about, who also picked her up from middle school, then reportedly snuck out-of-town, was interested in a relationship? Hardly. In my opinion, this guy is an alleged rapist and should be treated as such. We also need to stop tip-toeing around the term just because some people find it ‘unpleasant’.

Lastly to parents, you need to talk to your kids and let them know that any adult that is contacting them online that purports to understand them better, or says that they should be treated more like adults. is only after one thing, and it’s not a relationship.