WoW: Girl meets felon in-game, police give chase

Doesn’t this sound familiar: Guy and girl meet while playing World of Warcraft, girl decides to meet guy, guy agrees, and they live happily ever after.

Except in this recent news report, the girl is a 15-year-old runaway from Windham, and the guy is Daniel Lenz – a Florida-based 26-year old man police have verified to carry a rap sheet ranging from credit card fraud, burglary, to child molestation.

Going into details of this incident, the girl (name withheld) during the time of the incident was being home-schooled, and was cut off from her friends in the area. “Her only contacts outside the home were with an online group of computer users,” said Windham police Chief Gerald Lewis, in reference to the girl’s frequent playing of WoW. It was here that she subsequently met Daniel.

After several meetings with Daniel online, the girl packed up her suitcase, her computer, and left a note telling her parents she was moving to Boston. The girl also left her cellphone – a move police speculate Daniel instructed the girl to do in order to avoid her getting traced.

Shortly after the girl’s parents found out about their daughter’s disappearance this Monday, they collaborated with the Florida police, whom they told about what details they knew about Daniel. Their report led to Daniel’s subsequent arrest at his apartment in Jacksonville, Florida. By Tuesday, the police also found the girl. She was located at Manning, South Carolina (S.C.) in the company of Jason Dowling, 23, also from Florida who was asked by Lenz to drive the girl to his place. Daniel is currently under custody at a Florida jail, while the girl is reportedly to be picked up by her parents at South Carolina.

WoW players may be able to learn several things from this incident. One: Always be sure to know who you’re talking to online. Two: Unless you absolutely trust your friends online, don’t give them your personal data. Three: Never crawl out of bed for anything less than an artifact item offer.

Doesn’t this sound familiar: Guy and girl meet while playing World of Warcraft, girl decides to meet guy, guy agrees, and they live happily ever after.

Except in this recent news report, the girl is a 15-year-old runaway from Windham, and the guy is Daniel Lenz – a Florida-based 26-year old man police have verified to carry a rap sheet ranging from credit card fraud, burglary, to child molestation.

Going into details of this incident, the girl (name withheld) during the time of the incident was being home-schooled, and was cut off from her friends in the area. “Her only contacts outside the home were with an online group of computer users,” said Windham police Chief Gerald Lewis, in reference to the girl’s frequent playing of WoW. It was here that she subsequently met Daniel.

After several meetings with Daniel online, the girl packed up her suitcase, her computer, and left a note telling her parents she was moving to Boston. The girl also left her cellphone – a move police speculate Daniel instructed the girl to do in order to avoid her getting traced.

Shortly after the girl’s parents found out about their daughter’s disappearance this Monday, they collaborated with the Florida police, whom they told about what details they knew about Daniel. Their report led to Daniel’s subsequent arrest at his apartment in Jacksonville, Florida. By Tuesday, the police also found the girl. She was located at Manning, South Carolina (S.C.) in the company of Jason Dowling, 23, also from Florida who was asked by Lenz to drive the girl to his place. Daniel is currently under custody at a Florida jail, while the girl is reportedly to be picked up by her parents at South Carolina.

WoW players may be able to learn several things from this incident. One: Always be sure to know who you’re talking to online. Two: Unless you absolutely trust your friends online, don’t give them your personal data. Three: Never crawl out of bed for anything less than an artifact item offer.