I almost never accept friend requests on Snapchat from strangers, but I use it regularly because my closest friends and I have very long snap streaks, and it’s just fun! Occasionally I’ll accept a friend request, and if the person talks to me with respect, I’ll chat with them and see how it goes.

Well a few months back a local guy named Troy sent me a friend request, and I was feeling social that day, so I accepted. He was friendly and respectful, didn’t attempt to send anything inappropriate or anything. So we ended up with a snap streak too, and we became friends.

When I was talking on Snapchat about my upcoming hip replacement, he offered to help me in my recovery, if I needed anyone to fill in between other caretakers. He seemed super sweet and generous.

I never met him in person, as my surgery kept getting pushed back due to illnesses, and I wasn’t trying to spread germs. But we continued to chat. Then one day he told me that since my surgery has been pushed back so far, he may not be able to help me anymore, and that it depended on a court date. He was withholding the details, and that made me super suspicious. So I looked it up on the state court records website. Also, articles were circulating.

WHO-TV13 Reports
January 26, 2026

NEWTON, Iowa — A Newton man has been arrested for allegedly making plans to meet someone he thought was an underage teen for sex, but he was really corresponding with police officers posing as a minor.

Troy Anthony Edwards, 40, is charged with Grooming and Enticing a Minor for a Sexual Purpose, according to the Newton Police Department.

Online court records show Edwards communicated on social media and through text message with someone he thought was a 15-year-old female between January 20th and January 22nd. Edwards was actually messaging with Newton Police officers, pretending to be the fictitious girl.

Edwards allegedly asked to take photos of the teen without any clothes on, offered to come to the teen’s home so they could have sex, and offered to bring condoms.

NPD said Edwards suggested a meeting and set a time and place. Edwards arrived at the location around 1:20 p.m. on January 22nd, where he was located by police.

Court documents say Edwards admitted to police he was there to meet a teen he had discussed sex with and possibly have sex with her.

Edwards was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Jasper County Jail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 2nd.

After I read what I did, I went back to our chat and reminded him that all the records are public. So he went on to try and defend himself by saying the “girl” he was talking to claimed to be 20 years old until the last minute, and then she changed the age to 15… but by then it was too late to turn around because the cops were already there. But here’s the thing: the cops wouldn’t have been there if he was there for a 20 year old woman. He lied to me. And clearly, I didn’t know him at all.

And this, my readers, is why I don’t trust people. There is WAY too much of this that happens, and seemingly no one knows how to be a good or honest person anymore.

Troy has been blocked on all of my social media. I don’t know what happened with his court date, and I likely won’t unless there’s another news story about it.