ChristianMingle.com Rape Suspect Arrested
The Christian dating website ChristianMingle.com is at the center of an alleged rape investigation.
Police arrested Sean Patrick Banks, 37, of Del Mar, California, on suspicion of raping a woman he'd met on ChristianMingle.com. Banks may have been trolling the website in search of prey as he traveled around the country looking for work, reports ABC News.
Banks also allegedly used fake names online. Police are looking for other potential victims.
The alleged ChristianMingle.com rape may be particularly disturbing for users of the website, which advertises itself as a safe place where Christians can meet other Christians. While the site warns users to be wary of people who "don't take no" for an answer, that warning simply isn't enough to protect women from predators on the prowl.
According to police, Banks met a woman on ChristianMingle.com. During their first face-to-face encounter in November, he allegedly sexually assaulted the woman at her home.
It took a while for investigators to identify Banks because he allegedly used aliases online. You may think it would be easy to track someone down when the person has an online profile, but it's often not as easy as it sounds. To get user information such as IP addresses and other data, police must sometimes get a subpoena or a search warrant.
The break in this case came once the records were obtained from ChristianMingle.com. On the website, Banks allegedly used the names "Rylan Butterwood" and "Rylan Harbrough," according to CNN. Police are asking anyone who may recognize those names, or Banks' picutre, to come forward.
Alleged ChristianMingle.com rapist Sean Patrick Banks was charged with two counts of rape. He pleaded not guilty was released on $500,000 bond.
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