KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (WSOC) – A vape store owner is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl twice in exchange for vapes.
Authorities say this is not the first time the man has asked minors for sex in exchange for vapes.
According to court documents, the owner of Mo’s Vape and Tobacco in Kannapolis, North Carolina, sent a message to a 15-year-old girl on Snapchat and provided her vapes in exchange for sex.
“I have a daughter myself and I don’t understand what goes through people’s minds to make them think that’s OK,” customer Summer Starns said.
According to the affidavit, the girl told Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department that Mohamed Al-Hareurey raped her twice in April 2024 in exchange for vapes.
In June 2024, Al-Hareurey was arrested for messaging a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat also offering vapes in exchange for sex.
“Abusers use resources and things that they have to manipulate and control their victims, and unfortunately, it seems like this has occurred here,” Lisa Diefenderfer with Safe Alliance said.
Diefenderfer says parents should teach their children about consent at an early age.
“Creating that environment in your home where your children are going to talk to you about what’s going on with their body from the beginning, and that way this is just now part of normal conversation so children are not afraid to come and talk to their families,” she said.
Starnes said she will not shop at Mo’s Vapes and Tobacco again and plans to talk with her children about safety.
“I tried to pound in that safety thing with them. Just watch what they’re doing, watch who they’re communicating with. Pay attention,”
Al-Hareurey is in jail on eight charges including rape and soliciting the prostitution of a minor.
A judge set his bond at $500,000.
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