Man faces sex charge

The Hubbard man was identified through the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- A 32-year-old Hubbard man was charged with gross sexual imposition after he told an undercover police officer he wanted to have sex with an 11-year-old girl, according to a court document.
Timothy M. Gaut of Gary Drive appeared by video Monday before Girard Municipal Judge Michael A. Bernard, who set a preliminary hearing for Feb. 7.
Gaut is being held in the Trumbull County Jail in lieu of 250,000 bond. He was arrested Sunday morning after a search warrant was executed on the home he shared with his parents and a girl. Police seized several items, including a computer.
The search warrant was based on an affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., by Detective Craig R. Paul of the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
According to affidavit, Paul was working undercover Friday claiming on the computer that he was a stepfather offering his 11-year-old fictitious stepdaughter for a sexual encounter.
Ten minutes after entering a chat room, Paul was contacted by a person using the screen name "Daddy6yo," who was later identified as Gaut.
Gave phone number
Paul told Gaut that he was offering his stepdaughter for 250 per hour. Gaut responded that he would travel to Virginia to have sex with the child. Gaut gave the undercover detective his home telephone number, the affidavit said.
When Paul called the number, a man who said his name was Tim answered and said he wanted to have a variety of sex with the child.
According to the affidavit, another undercover detective posed as the girl, and Gaut asked her about her sexual experience.
On Saturday, Gaut told Paul he wanted a picture of the girl, but the detective told him he had neither a digital camera nor scanner to send a photograph.
After several minutes, Gaut used a Web camera to broadcast live pictures of a young girl to establish that he wasn't a police officer.
Gaut said he had engaged in sexual acts with the child.
During another transmission, according to the affidavit, Gaut stood next to the prepubescent girl and performed a sex act on himself.
Then, Gaut offered to buy the female detective posing as the stepdaughter a video game console when he got to Virginia "for being such a good girl."
Found photo
Paul had been able to match Gaut's likeness on the computer with a photograph of Gaut from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Gaut showed his face at the request of the fictitious stepdaughter.
About 1 a.m. Sunday, Hubbard police executed the search warrant issued in Virginia. Gaut was arrested while online with the detective he believed was the child.
Hubbard police picked up the telephone receiver and verified that Gaut was under arrest.
A girl with Gaut when he was arrested was removed from the house by Trumbull County Children Services.
yovich@vindy.com