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OAKLAND -- Oakland police, again working with a national anti-pedophile group, have arrested a man on charges of attempted sexual abuse of a minor.

Oakland police arrested Shawn Kargakos, 37, of Waterville, Saturday night after he arrived at a High Street home where he apparently believed he was going to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Capt. Rick Stubbert of the Oakland Police Department, said it was a concern that his department's partnership with the national group Perverted Justice has yielded such quick results.

"... they just now started getting around to fishing in our area," said Stubbert.

On Friday, May 30, police arrested Scott H. Ely, 37, of Swanville, after he allegedly arrived at an Oak Street home where he believed he was going to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex.

Saturday, officers were waiting at the High Street home when a female volunteer standing on the porch of the house met Kargakos and invited him in. After the sting, police executed a search warrant at his home on College Avenue and seized the computer he used to chat with the volunteer, said Stubbert.

Kargakos is currently on probation for arson.

Perverted Justice is an Internet-based group that uses volunteers posing as underage youths in Internet chat rooms in order to catch sexual predators.

Stubbert said he believes the Oakland Police Department is the only department in Maine actively working with the group.

He said the group only uses chat rooms available to the general public and does not instigate sexual conversations.

"They just identify themselves as 14 years old. They can't proposition anybody," said Stubbert.

He said the Oakland police will continue to work with the group.

"What I am hoping is that down the road, when (potential abusers) hear Oakland, they say, 'I am going to stay out of there because they know we are enforcing (laws prohibiting sex with underage teens) there,' " he said.

Kargakos remained in Kennebec County Jail Monday afternoon on charges of violating the terms of his probation.

Alan Crowell -- 861-9244

acrowell@centralmaine.com