Sex offender guilty in rape of 13-year-old he met online

[RickHolland]

registered sex offender was convicted Thursday of raping a 13-year-old girl he met online and sexually assaulting her 14-year-old friend at a Broadneck Peninsula home last summer.



ames Mason III, 29, of Simms Drive in Annapolis, entered an Alford plea in Circuit Court in Annapolis Thursday to second-degree rape and third-degree sex offense. He faces up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for mid-August.

According to prosecutors, Mason befriended the 13-year-old Dundalk girl on MySpace, a social networking website, last June.

Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Rogers said the girl told Mason she was very young. He asked her how young she was, then said, "Never mind, don't even tell me," Rogers said. At one point, he gave the girl his phone number.

After a month of online communication, the girl called Mason while hanging out with her 14-year-old sister and two friends, ages 14 and 15. She told her sister and friends Mason "seemed nice" and had a car.

Mason picked the girls up in Dundalk.

He later told county police the girls looked younger than 18, but "he didn't want to waste the trip," Rogers said.

She said Mason drove the four girls for about 30 minutes, over the Key Bridge and into Anne Arundel County. He stopped at the Bay Mart convenience store, 86 Old Mill Bottom Road off Route 50, and bought vodka and a red alcoholic beverage before taking them to an acquaintance's home on St. Margarets Drive in Cape St. Claire.

At the home, prosecutors said Mason poured the girls multiple shots of liquor. Three of the girls began to vomit and went to the bathroom. The girls threw up several times and were on the bathroom floor when Mason opened the door and helped the 13-year-old girl up.

Rogers said Mason asked the girl to go with him to the McDonald's restaurant on Whitehall Road to get some food. The girl threw up on the drive to McDonald's.

Mason parked behind the restaurant and told the teen he was sorry she felt ill.

He then pushed her head down and had her perform a sex act, Rogers said. Then he put her in the rear passenger seat of his silver 2000 Mercedes, took her pants off and had intercourse with her.

Rogers said Mason then went through the drive-thru, ordered food and drove back to the home.

The girl went into the bathroom again and threw up repeatedly before passing out on the floor. Prosecutors said Mason picked the girl up and placed her in a recliner. As the girl slept, Mason took one of the 14-year-old girls outside of the house to throw up. Outside, prosecutors said Mason removed the girl's shorts and forced her to have sex.

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