A Fort Riley man was arrested for allegedly “sexting” with a Salina teen he met on-line. “Sexting” is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos, primarily between mobile phones.

According to Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski, at about 6:30 Thursday evening a deputy on routine patrol came upon what appeared to be an unattended car parked on the side of the road in the Smolan area, in the 5300 block of Centennial Road. When the deputy approached, a male appeared in the back seat of the car, along with a female.

The male was identified as 22-year-old Scott Wilhelm from Fort Riley. Kochanowski says that Wilhelm had driven to Salina to meet a 16-year-old girl who he had met via an on-line dating website. Allegedly, Wilhelm and the girl had exchanged nude photos of one another.

Wilhelm was arrested and booked into the Saline County Jail on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.

Kochanowski said there was no evidence that sexual activity had taken place between the two in the car, which would not have been a crime. The legal age of consent in Kansas is 16. The sheriff added, though, that it is a crime in Kansas to send sexually explicit images to a minor.