SEATTLE — Forty-one year-old Frederick "Sam" Tarbox of Woodinville was arrested by the Seattle Police Department on Monday for allegedly planning to have sex with a 14-year old girl.
Tarbox was a long-time partner in Mad Science of King County, a company that provided scientific education and entertainment for children’s birthday parties, camps and after school programs since 2004.
According to police documents, Tarbox was booked into the King County Jail in downtown Seattle after agreeing to meet with someone he thought was a 14-year old girl. The “14-year old girl” was really an undercover police detective posing online. At the time of Tarbox’s arrest, police documents reveal he had $100 and “admitted that he came to the location with the intent to meet the 14-year old minor child and pay her for sex.”
On Tuesday, King County judge pro tem Lisa O'Toole set Tarbox's bail at $50,000. She also ordered Tarbox to have no contact with minor children if he makes bail.
Tarbox is just the latest of dozens of men who have been arrested by King County-area law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions in the past 18 months -- for agreeing to pay someone they thought was an underage girl for sex. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said of the on-going effort, "ultimately, our goal is not to charge a bunch of people with crimes. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce the exploitation of teenage girls on the streets of Seattle."
A Mad Science Group spokesperson released the following statement Wednesday:
"Mad Science Group is deeply disturbed by the news of the arrest of Frederick Tarbox, a former employee of Mad Science of King County who was not under our employment at the time of his apprehension. Because the safety and well-being of the children involved in our leading science enrichment programs are our first priority, Mad Science Group requires all employees to adhere to a strict screening policy that includes a comprehensive application and a lengthy interview process, in addition to background checks for criminal convictions.
Read a previous story on King County online teen sex sting here.