According to authorities, a guy from St. Petersburg, Florida, was detained on Wednesday after he allegedly met a 14-year-old girl online and travelled to pick her up and bring her back to his house.
According to the Largo Police Department, in June 2023, officers responded to a complaint of a 14-year-old runaway.
The girl’s parents told the authorities they had just found out their daughter was covertly chatting with a man on Snapchat when they arrived.
The man, eventually identified as Austin Lawrence Powers, 26, picked up the youngster at least once and took her to his house, according to information gathered by the investigators.
Days later, according to the police, Powers allegedly picked the girl up once more while pretending to be the father of one of the victim’s friends when he met the victim’s mother.
According to police, Powers claimed to be the parent of one of the victim’s friends during the meeting and stated he was taking the victim’s kid to play with his daughter at his house.
Detectives were able to identify the individual as Powers, a Florida-registered sex offender, after conducting a longer and more thorough investigation.
Powers was previously detained in 2016 in Plant City for a comparable incident.
Lewd and lascivious molestation and travelling to see a juvenile are the charges against him.
The matter is still under investigation.
