Essex Attorney Faces Child Sex Charges in Florida

A 47-year-old Essex attorney has been arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit in Florida on charges relating to traveling to the state to have sex with someone he believed to be a child.

Howard Scott Kalin, who lives in the 1700 block of Anne Ave., first contacted police in January through online chatting services. During that time, Kalin identified himself under his alias name of “Ben Aldridge.”

Since then, cyber crimes undercover detectives posing simultaneously as a 14-year-old boy and as a caregiver, communicated with Kalin several times online. During these communications, Kalin allegedly told the detectives that he planned to travel to Florida on May 23 to meet with the boy and his caregiver.

According to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Kalin also told undercover detectives that he would bring a basketball to the child and planned on having sex with the boy during his visit.

Throughout the course of the investigation, detectives learned that Kalin, along with being an attorney, owns what has been described as a children’s entertainment company known as “Funhouse Entertainment,” located in the 2200 block of York Road in Lutherville, where Kalin advertises himself as a magician.

According to police, Kalin traveled to Florida on Monday with the intention of meeting the boy and the caretaker. Detectives arrested Kalin shortly after he arrived at a pre-determined location in Lake County, FL. The exact location of the meeting is being withheld at this time.