Arraignments planned this week for men charged with soliciting minors

~ The two men were arrested a week apart on suspicion of soliciting minors over the Internet.

Two men arrested in separate undercover police operations targeting adults soliciting minors over the Internet for sex were scheduled for preliminary hearings this week.

Irvin E. Holderbaugh Jr., 40, of 924 E. Independence St. in Jackson, and Robert C. Wells, 45, of 2515 Horseshoe Ridge in Cape Girardeau, were each charged with attempted statutory rape.

The men were arrested a week apart following separate police investigations in which officers posed as underage girls over the Internet.

Wells was arrested March 6 as he arrived in the parking lot of the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, 3254 William St. in Cape Girardeau.

A probable cause statement filed in the case stated Wells arranged a meeting at the parking lot with a 15-year-old girl to set a date when the two could have sex.

Before the parking lot meeting, Wells spoke with the "girl" on the Web site MySpace.com, the statement said. He and the girl, an undercover Cape Girardeau Police Department detective, exchanged e-mails and scheduled the meeting, the statement said.

He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. today before Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp.

In an unrelated investigation, Holderbaugh was arrested March 11 in Jackson City Park, where he thought he was to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, according to a probable cause statement in his case. The girl was actually a Bollinger County Sheriff's Department officer.

The defendant, who was also charged with enticement of a child, had been carrying out sexual conversations via Yahoo! Messenger and e-mail with Bollinger County Sheriff's Department officers.

When Holderbaugh approached a female Bollinger County communications officer posing as the 14-year-old girl, he was arrested.

During a search of his person, Holderbaugh was found carrying condoms, Viagra pills and a box cutter knife.

Kamp was scheduled to oversee a preliminary hearing for Holderbaugh at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

A $25,000 bond was set for both defendants.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127