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PTC arrests suspect who tried to lure undercover officer

They met online; he thought she was 14, police said

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

For the second time since May, Peachtree City police have arrested a suspect who made arrangements online to rendezvous with a 14-year-old girl, who’s actually an undercover police officer, to have sex.

This time, the suspect came to Peachtree City, said Police Chief James Murray. While a surveillance crew watched, Daniel Ubiedi, 49, of Atlanta, met the undercover officer Thursday afternoon and tried to get her into his car, Murray said.

At that point, other police officers moved in to make the arrest, Murray added.

“We arrested him immediately,” Murray said.

Ubiedi, a native of Nigeria, is charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes and violation of the computer pornography and child exploitation act of 1999. Ubiedi told police he works as a real estate appraiser, but that could not be verified by Friday morning, Murray said.

Ubiedi approached the undercover officer in an online chat room, Murray said. The investigation lasted a short period of time, the chief noted.

Ubiedi was delayed on his way into Peachtree City with car trouble just before the arrest, Murray noted. While online, he used his own photograph as an icon in the chat room program, police said.

Murray said one of his biggest concerns for children is online predators like Ubiedi and Barry D. Peavy, 36, a Newnan man arrested in May for similar charges after he arranged to meet with the same undercover officer; Peavy, who was then employed as the webmaster for the Coweta County school system, didn’t make it to Peachtree City but was arrested later the same day because he set up the rendezvous online, police said.

“Parents need to be aware of the need to protect our children,” Murray said.