28-year-old Rhode Island man accused of enticing a Massachusetts child under 16

MIDDLEBOROUGH — Police Chief Robert Ferreira Jr. reports that the Middleborough Police Department arrested a Rhode Island man for attempting to meet up with a Massachusetts juvenile following an undercover operation.

On Friday, September 5th, a parent reported to Middleborough Police that their child had been receiving inappropriate and sexual messages from an unknown male.

The investigation revealed that the male, later identified as 28-year-old Efrain Ixcuna of Providence, initially contacted the child through the social media application Snapchat. Ixcuna continued communications by text messages and allegedly attempted to deceive the child by falsely claiming he was 16 years old.

The Middleborough Detective Unit immediately began an investigation. Detectives assumed undercover control of the child’s cell phone with their parents’ consent and continued to communicate with Ixcuna.

He was repeatedly informed that the child was underage. Despite knowing this, he allegedly continued to send sexually explicit messages consistent with grooming behavior, including repeatedly asking for photographs and in-person meetings.

Undercover detectives arranged a meeting for Sunday, September 14th, and arrested Ixcuna at that location without incident.

A search of his vehicle revealed what appeared to be gifts intended for the child, including jewelry and a stuffed animal.

Ixcuna was arrested and charged with Enticement of a Child Under 16, Attempt to Commit a Crime, and Reckless Sexual Endangerment of a Child.

“First, I’d like to highlight the actions of an observant and vigilant parent,” said Chief Ferreira. “This case should serve as an important reminder for all parents and guardians to maintain a close and vigilant eye on their children’s social media presence.”

Ixcuna was arraigned on Monday in Wareham District Court where he pled not guilty and was being held on ($50,000 bond/$5,000 cash) bail.

“I’d also like to commend the Middleborough Detective Unit for their thoughtful and thorough investigation, which led to an arrest before a young child was further victimized,” said Chief Ferreira. “Our detectives demonstrated extremely high professional standards while handling this investigation from the start. In this case, they not only made an arrest, but they also prevented a potentially far more serious crime.”

These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.