Albuquerque parents catch suspected child predator

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque father set up his own sting operation – after he found his 12-year-old daughter was "sexting" a man twenty years older than her.

David Munoz is now spending the new year in jail and this isn’t the first time he’s been arrested for soliciting a minor.

The Coronado Center food court became the scene of a New Year’s Day stake out as one dad waited to confront the man who was attempting to have sex with his underage daughter.

Albuquerque police spell it all out in the criminal complaint. A local man started looking through his 12-year-old daughter’s phone. He reportedly found explicit text messages and nude images being exchanged between his child and a contact saved as "B.”

Police say "B" was later identified as David Munoz – the texts allegedly showed the two were planning to meet after school on Jan. 5th to have sex.

The child’s parents reportedly texted Munoz –pretending to be her and set up a time to meet at the Coronado Center food court

On Saturday, the parents brought their daughter to the food court and waited at another table.

Police say Munoz arrived – talked to the girl, then tried to leave the mall with her. That’s when her parents intervened– detained Munoz –and called 911.

But investigators say this isn’t the first time Munoz has been caught trying to have sex with a minor. In 2014 Munoz went before a grand jury facing 2 charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one charge of criminal sexual penetration – but those charges were dropped because both of the alleged victims refused to testify.

Munoz is currently in Bernalillo County’s jail– he is expected in court Monday, when everyone will know if the district attorney will ask for pretrial detention.