Death Metal Band Member Arrested at Del Amo Mall, Suspected of Meeting Minor for 'Lewd Purposes'

The lead singer of the “death metal” band Kauze was free on bail today after being arrested on suspicion of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, law enforcement officers said today.

Lane Steele Kozloff, 29, of Sherman Oaks allegedly put an ad on Craigslist Sept. 24 that said he was “seeking a ‘lil girl” and, for about two weeks, swapped online messages with a federal agent posing as 14-year-old girl, according to Mark Zito of Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On Monday, Kozloff was arrested about 1 p.m. when he drove to the Del Amo Mall in Torrance to meet the girl, Zito said, adding that it was clear Kozloff expected to have sex with her.

Kozloff had sheets, blankets and pillows in the back of his SUV, Zito said.

He was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Station, later released in lieu of $75,000 bail and ordered to be at Airport Courthouse Oct. 27, authorities said.

Zito said Kozloff would likely be prosecuted in state court. In addition to fronting the band, Kozloff, who goes my Lane Steele, taught music at an undisclosed private school.

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said Kozloff’s arrest came a day before the agency announced the expansion of its Smartphone app to enlist the public’s help in identifying people sexually exploiting children.

--City News Service

PHOTO Image via Shutterstock

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