Man tries to rent child with option to buy

DALLAS, June 1 (UPI) -- Bail has been set at $100,000 for a married Texas father who paid an undercover Dallas police officer $100 to "rent" a 9-year-old girl for the night.

Kevin Russell Moake, 49, was arrested outside a fast food restaurant immediately after he forked over the money in a sting operation set up by Dallas police, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Friday.

Police said Moake originally planned to buy the fictional Mexican girl outright for about $2,000 but asked for a rental with option to buy because he didn't have a place to keep her.

Lt. C.L. Williams, head of the department's child exploitation unit, said the sting operation began after police learned Wednesday Moake had been trying to buy a child for sex.

"It really speaks volumes about what these criminals think," Williams said. "For him to take a cold call from someone and think he could buy sex with a child is really mind-boggling."

Moake was jailed on charges of suspicion of attempting to traffic in humans and attempting sexual performance with a child.