Emmitsburg, MD – Police have arrested a 36-year-old man who pretended to be a 14-year-old boy on Snapchat in order to rape a 12-year-old girl.

Authorities first became aware of John Warren Compton’s sexual contact with the minor girl on Aug. 16 when she contacted police about a week after she was raped, The Frederick News-Post reported.

The girl said she first began talking with Compton on the Snapchat social media app and told the boy she was born in 2005.

She told police that he told her they had the same birthday, but that he was two years older than her – making him 14 years old, according to The Frederick News-Post.

The girl told police they exchanged a lot of messages and eventually, she agreed to go see a movie with the boy, and made plans for him to pick her up at a relative’s house.

She told police she assumed his parents would be driving, and was surprised when a man arrived to pick her up at midnight, The Frederick News-Post reported.

The victim told police that she was uncomfortable, but could not get out of Compton’s van because he began driving quickly to his house.

She told police that when they arrived at Compton’s house, he forced himself on her, ignoring her pleas for him to stop and pinching her when she screamed, The Frederick News-Post reported.

Compton took the victim back to the relative’s house at about 5 a.m., and police said he did not attempt to contact her again until Sept. 6, when he reached out via Facebook.

Frederick County sheriff’s investigators tried to get the girl to participate in a series of phone calls with Compton to get him to confess to illegal activity, but she refused, according to The Frederick News-Post.

She did one call with her rapist and then told detectives she was afraid to talk to him again.

At that point, sheriff’s deputies took over her social media accounts and began conducting conversations with Compton directly on Facebook.

A series of social media messages that began on Nov. 21 showed that Compton arranged to meet with the 12-year-old girl again on Sunday, The Frederick News-Post reported.

Compton, in his messages, detailed the specific sex acts he intended to perform on the child when he saw her, according to charging documents.

He also sent her four pictures prior to their second meeting, two of which showed him exposing his private parts to the girl, The Frederick News-Post reported.

When Compton arrived at Rocky Ridge Municipal Park to meet up with the 12 year old again on Nov. 25, he was met instead by Frederick County sheriff’s deputies and taken into custody, WTTG reported.

Court records showed he was arrested and charged with second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense, and sexual solicitation of a minor.

At his bail review hearing on Monday, Compton’s attorney asked that he be released and allowed to work in order to support his family.

The attorney said he was at low risk to not appear because he has his own family with children.

However, Frederick County Assistant State’s Attorney Tim Gilbert called Compton a dangerous predator who was a clear threat to the community, and District Judge Earl W. Bartgis Jr. agreed.

Bartgis ordered Compton held without bail in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center until his preliminary hearing on Dec. 19.