Cloverdale man behind bars after child solicitation charge

A Cloverdale man has found himself behind bars in the Putnam County Jail thanks to the efforts of a group aimed at protecting children. 

According to court documents, Paul Romine, 54, of Cloverdale, was arrested after messaging who he thought was an 11-year-old female about possible sex. 

The arrest stems from an incident last month where the Cloverdale Police Department was called to a Cloverdale home by Bikers against Predators, a group from Indiana aimed at protectingchildren against sexual crimes. 

A decoy from the group posed as an 11 year old female and began communicating with Romine. Romine allegedly sent messages through text and social media about wanting to take the female's virginity and he sent a nude photo to the decoy, later claiming it was a photo off the internet. The decoy told Romine multiple times through communication she was 11, according to documents. 

Documents state Romine requested an address and then asked the decoy to download Zangi, a private messaging app. The decoy replied she would prefer to meet at Rodgers Park in Goshen, Indiana. 

Romine had his home searched last week by Cloverdale Police, who found two cell phones at the scene. 

Romine is being held in the Putnam County Jail on a $20,000 cash bond and is facing a Level 4 felony count of Child Solicitation. He is set to return to court July 3 for a pretrial conference.