Fire captain accused of trying to lure children on Craigslist

By Erin Dostal

Published Monday, March 1, 2010 | 4:30 p.m.

Updated Monday, March 1, 2010 | 6:41 p.m.

A Clark County fire captain was arrested Friday, accused of placing an ad on Craigslist to lure young girls for sex, Henderson police said Monday. The arrest came after he allegedly arrived at a Henderson parking lot to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Martin Vohwinkel, 55, was tracked by an undercover Henderson police detective and charged with using technology to lure children for sexual purposes, said Keith Paul, spokesman for the Henderson Police Department.

The Craigslist ad requested a casual encounter with a young girl, according to an arrest report.

The detective responded to the ad on Feb. 25 through an e-mail account used for the undercover operation. The first e-mail included only an introduction and an indication that it was in response to the ad, according to the arrest report.

Police say Vohwinkel responded by saying he posted the ad. He then asked if the officer – posing as a young girl – wanted to have sex, and what it would cost.

In the arrest report, the detective said he made numerous references to being 14 years old in their correspondence.

Vohwinkel told the “girl” he was 45 and sent a nude photo of himself standing in front of a mirror, police said. In a later photo, Vohwinkel’s face was displayed and he was wearing a firefighter’s uniform, according to the arrest report.

When Vohwinkel asked for a photo of who he thought was a young girl, detectives sent an image of a female police officer. Vohwinkel requested nude photos, police said, but investigators didn’t send photos that were sexual in nature.

Vohwinkel asked the “girl” where he could pick her up and stated that he wanted to have sex, investigators said. They arranged to meet Friday morning in a Henderson parking lot. He offered to bring marijuana with him, which he referred to as "chronic," police said.

When police arrived they saw Vohwinkel pulling into the parking lot driving a white Toyota Tundra with a firefighter sticker, police said.

At the scene, police called the cell phone number Vohwinkel had provided for the girl. His cell phone rang.

Vohwinkel was questioned and booked into the Henderson jail. He was placed on unpaid leave during the investigation. Vohwinkel made $230,166.90 in 2008.