I can see it both ways...it might have just been an innocent joke or it could have been a sign of a predator.
The prior conviction suggests predator, but did he just ask to touch her and the father said no, or did he just ask and the father immediately called the police?
The way the story is written, the latter is what happened.
Democrats are incapable of this progression, so they substitute, from bafflement, to frustration because they don't understand, to anger.
Thus, "triggering".