GJ man arrested in Eagle sex sting

EAGLE — A Grand Junction man who allegedly planned to have sex with a 14-year-old girl in his truck was arrested by Eagle County sheriff’s deputies Friday.

John Mark Love, 39, was arrested on suspicion of attempted sexual assault of a child, Internet luring of a child and enticement of a child, all felonies.

Love drove his tractor-trailer truck to Eagle about 5:30 p.m. where he planned to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl at a fast food restaurant. A sheriff’s detective was posing as the girl, officials said.

Love planned to watch the movie “Ice Age” and then have sex with the girl in the truck, officials said.

He stopped to park his tractor-trailer truck at the Eagle County Fairgrounds and sheriff’s deputies arrested him, Eagle sheriff’s spokeswoman Kim Andree said.

Chats began in ’06

During an interview at the sheriff’s office, Love allegedly said he came to Eagle to have sex with the girl. Police also found the “Ice Age” DVD and player during a search of Love’s vehicle, officials said.

Sheriff’s deputies are working with the Grand Junction Police Department to inspect his computer to confirm whether Love had the online conversations with the detective and to look for other potential victims, Andree said.

Love is being held in the Eagle County jail on a $50,000 bond.

He has no criminal history in Mesa County, according to county records.

The investigation began in December 2006 when Love contacted an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old girl in an Internet chat room, officials said. Love had Internet and cell phone text message conversations with her and one telephone conversation, officials said.

Andree declined to release the content of the communication and officials did not know Monday how many times Love communicated with the detective.

The arrest was delayed because Friday was the first time Love “could be with her,” Andree said.

“They had made several other arrangements but he was unable to come,” she said.

Love’s arrest was the second in Eagle County since officials implemented a program that targets online sexual predators eight months ago, according to Andree.

(Free Press Staff Writer Paul Shockley contributed to this report)