Katie Tarbox tells of her experience with an Internet pedophile in the book Katie.com. In 1995, Katie was thirteen-years-old and beginning eighth grade in Connecticut when her experience begins. Katie describes the sweltering competition between her sisters combined with inattentive parents, which left her feeling very alone. Dedicated to her schoolwork, choir, and swim team, Katie had minimal time to socialize and felt that she did not belonging anywhere.
Katie was a young girl that sought acceptance and companionship. The Internet was still relatively new when Katie discovered America Online. Not long after her introduction to chat rooms Katie met “Vallleyguy”. Giving the name “Mark” and an age of 21, Katie felt very comfortable with him and gave him her phone number. The phone calls, chat room conversations, and e-mails became increasingly frequent and Katie realized that she loved him. Mark convinced her not to tell anyone about the relationship. After months of communicating, they decided to meet at the hotel the swim team would occupy for a competition in Texas. Katie went to Mark’s hotel room and he became very forceful with her making it clear that he intended to rape her. Fortunately Mark was stopped when Katie’s mom and two coaches pounded on the door and Katie exited safely but changed forever.
The police officers informed Katie of numerous lies Mark had told her, including his name (David) and his age (41-years-old). Deciding to press charges, Katie met with the police in Texas and Connecticut and later with the FBI. She felt torn between the two versions of “Mark”: the man she trusted and fell in love with and the man that had attempted to molest her. A process that took two years ended when a plea agreement was reached and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Katie’s life became increasingly difficult after the incident in Texas. Feeling that everyone blamed her for what happened Katie’s self-confidence plummeted. After a serious mental breakdown, Katie wrote a paper addressing pedophilia based on her case and began to see a counselor to deal with the emotions and guilt that filled her.