Recently, a man from Virginia was on his family vacation when he was arrested during a child sex sting. The man, along with 12 others, were arrested in Volusia County, Florida. During the sting, officers had posed as teens under the age of 14.
Officers say that the men reached out using social media, texts and emails asking to meet the minors for sexual purposes. When they arrived, they were taken into custody by the investigators on site. Officials overseeing the sting say that each of the men had specifically expressed a desire to have sex with a minor.
The man who was on vacation, a 40-year-old, had told his family, also on vacation with him, that he was going out to buy donuts when he allegedly went to meet with a 14-year-old child. That’s when he was arrested. The man has been charged with using a computer to seduce or entice a child, use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony, traveling to meet an underage person to engage in sexual conduct unlawfully, and for attempted lewd or lascivious battery.
When you’re accused of a crime, it’s necessary to defend yourself. There’s a chance you’re simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or you might have an explanation for your actions. In the case of meeting an underage child, maybe you wanted to surprise him or her and explain the dangers of meeting strangers online, or you knew the child and the police have made an error. Whatever the reason, if you’re accused of being involved in a child sex crime, you need to make your voice heard.
Source: WTVR, “Virginia man vacationing with family, among 13 arrested in Florida child sex sting,” Vernon Freeman, Jr., Aug. 10, 2016
