A man convicted of trying to entice a young girl in England and fantasizing about eating her, is in jail in Blair.
Dale Bolinger, known in the United Kingdom as the "Canterbury Cannibal" recently showed up in Washington County, and the sheriff's department there immediately took notice.
Bolinger, 62, registered as a sex offender in Nebraska in January and has been residing at a home off of Highway 133 near Blair.
In 2014, Bolinger was convicted of attempting to entice a child for grooming and child porn in Canterbury, England. He reportedly met a 14-year-old girl on a fetish website, and they set up a time to meet so he could rape her, behead her, and eat her. Evidence produced at trial included a photo of Bolinger with an axe one day before the meeting. He also allegedly had photos of a young girl, naked, on a platter with an apple in her mouth.
The man Bolinger was living with in Blair said he didn't anticipate the reaction from neighbors: "Only thing I can tell you is he's met every obligation he's required to. He was a friend of the family and asked for a brief spot to try and get his feet on the ground as he tries to overcome his unfortunate situation."
Bolinger served half of his sentence in England, which was the requirement, and is on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office did a compliance check with him and then on Friday he was taken to the county jail. They would not say why he's being held there.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Washington County Attorney M. Scott Vander Schaaf said, "We understand that the events and story of Mr. Bolinger have encompassed many people, especially the citizens of Washington County. Please understand that neither the Sheriff nor I are trying to be misleading or not inform the public of the status or proceedings involving Mr. Bolinger.
There are matters which are defined as inherently private under Nebraska law and, therefore, we cannot comment on this situation. Our number one priority is the safety of the community and we are taking steps to ensure that safety.
"Mr. Bolinger currently remains in custody at the Washington County Jail, although he is not in custody for personal safety reasons, on any criminal charges for conduct occurring since his arrival in Washington County, Nebraska, or a violation of the sex offender registry."
"The Sheriff and I will alert the community if that status changes. Until such time as we can inform the public further, we cannot provide any other comment."
Bolinger is a U.S. citizen.
To see all people on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry or see if any live in your area visit: https://sor.nebraska.gov/
