It’s happened again, and once again I am left scratching my head as to how – and why.

A man has an online conversation with a woman in an Internet “chat”
room. The name of the room is “Incest is Natural.” That should give you an idea where this is going.

He allegedly sets up a liaison with his online acquaintance, whom he thinks is a mom with three young girls. The man’s idea of a good time is sex with mom and her daughters.

So excited is he that he jumps in his car and heads off to meet his new pals. The man is in Cleveland, Ohio. The “mom” is in Delaware County.

Only the mom is not a mom, and she does not have three daughters who she is willing to serve up to this guy's sexual desires. She’s actually an undercover officer with the Delaware County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The man drives eight hours, right into the arms of officers waiting for him in the parking lot of a drug store in Ridley, just off the Blue Route.

OK, I’ll admit it. I don’t get it. When exactly are these guys going to learn that they have no idea who that person on the other end of these chats really is?

My only conclusion is either that the lure is so overpowering as to minimize the obvious risk, or maybe even more troubling is that such suspected pervs routinely do this kind of thing without getting caught.

I’ll admit I still have some questions about exactly what these suspects are guilty of, after all, for the most part all they have done is “chatted” dirty online. Apparently the key is when they actually show up for one of these rendezvouses. That goes to intent.

But it doesn’t change my initial question. When are guys like Arnold Lawhun, who is now residing at the Delaware County Prison, going to figure out how this game works?