Nationwide Warrant Out for Man Accused of Soliciting Teen for Sex

A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for a Minnesota man accused of soliciting sex from a 15-year-old Burnsville girl.

Shawn Denton Van Hamm, 34, is charged with electronic solicitation of a child, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, the 15-year-old victim told a school liaison officer last December that her father’s friend Shawn had visited their home on Dec. 18, 2011, and at one point she rode to a convenience store with him.

After going to the store, the girl and Van Hamm went for a drive. Van Hamm allegedly parked on a gravel road and asked the girl to take off her sweater and show him her breasts and have sex with him, the girl told authorities.

The girl refused, but on Dec. 19, she and Van Hamm exchanged “many” sexually explicit text messages, she told police.

On Dec. 29, a detective spoke to Van Hamm by phone, telling him that he wanted to talk about an incident involving a 15-year-old girl. Van Hamm identified the girl by name and asked if the detective wanted to talk about her, according to the complaint.

Van Hamm came to the Burnsville police station and told officers that he had driven to the store with the girl and had gone for a drive. Police say he denied asking the girl to have sex, but admitted that he had asked to see her breasts, the complaint says.

Van Hamm acknowledged that he had “crossed the line” when he made the request, but admitted that he began exchanging explicit text messages with the girl the next day, according to the complaint.

Van Hamm’s whereabouts are unknown. Anyone with information is asked to contact local police.

Keep up with crime on Burnsville Patch. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, "like" us on Facebook and sign up for our daily newsletter.