42-year-old Stephen Wayne Klink of Gloucester, Virginia
UPDATE 3/3/2026: Court documents show Stephan Wayne Klink, 42, of Gloucester, Virginia, has been charged with displaying obscene material to a minor and sexual solicitation of a minor following an investigation in La Plata.
According to court documents, an officer responded to a Charles County residence on February 25, 2026, at approximately 10:22 p.m. for a report of suspicious activity.
The father of a male juvenile victim told police that his 14-year-old son and several underage friends had created an online account in an effort to identify adults seeking contact with minors to “catch child predators.”
The father reported that the suspect, identified as Klink, had been communicating with a 15-year-old boy and arranged to meet at Tilghman Lake in La Plata at approximately 5:15 p.m. on February 27, 2026.
Court records state that screenshots of the online conversations were provided to investigators, with authorities noting Klink sent multiple nude images of himself and sexually explicit messages during the exchanges.
The charging documents state that the age of the 15-year-old was discussed multiple times in the messages, with Klink even writing back, “age doesn’t matter to me as much as character,” and expressed interest in meeting the teen despite knowing his age. Klink also expresses his desired that he would have met the 15-year-old boy when he was even younger.
Investigators reported that on February 27, 2026, officers were staged at Tilghman Lake while Klink drove approximately two and a half hours from Gloucester, Virginia, to La Plata. He was taken into custody without incident upon arrival at the park.
Following a post-Miranda interview, court documents state that Klink admitted he intended to meet a 15-year-old boy at the park. Records further allege that he acknowledged sending the images and messages and admitted his intent was sexual in nature. Klink is formally charged with one count of displaying obscene material to a minor and one count of sexual solicitation of a minor.
The case remains pending in Charles County District Court. Court documents state Klink is an employee of the Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Virginia, with a listed position as “IT”
2/28/2026: On February 25, 2026, the La Plata Police Department received a report that a juvenile male had been contacted online by an adult male.
During the exchange, the conversation became sexual in nature and explicit photographs were sent to the juvenile. The suspect later arranged to meet the juvenile at a predetermined location in the Town of La Plata.
Through their investigation, La Plata Police officers quickly identified the suspect and coordinated a targeted enforcement operation to protect the juvenile and the community.
On February 27, 2026, 42-year-old Stephen Wayne Klink of Gloucester, Virginia arrived at a public area in the Town of La Plata expecting to meet the juvenile.
He was immediately taken into custody without incident by La Plata Police officers and transported to the Charles County Detention Center.
This operation was a joint effort between the Patrol Division and the Special Operations Division and demonstrates the La Plata Police Department’s continued commitment to proactively combating online exploitation and protecting children.
The La Plata Police Department encourages parents and guardians to monitor their children’s online activity and report any suspicious or inappropriate communications to law enforcement immediately.
