ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 23-year-old Duval County man was arrested on several sex charges after he thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl but instead met with undercover St. Johns County detectives early Wednesday evening.
Deputies said Ariel Victorino Rivera, 23, was charged with traveling to meet a juvenile for unlawful sexual activity after using a computer to seduce, solicit, or entice the juvenile, misrepresenting his age while using a computer to seduce, solicit or entice a juvenile for unlawful sexual activity and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
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The investigation began early last month when the parents of the victim learned that she met someone on a chat application who said he was 18 years old. The girl was texting the individual and exchanged photos as well as giving her personal information out on the Internet. The girl's parents reported this information to detectives with the Sheriff's Office Special Victim's Unit. In addition, the parents turned over the girl's cell phonecellphone, and undercover detectives continued to text with the man.
On Monday the undercover detective, using the 14-year-old's persona, said "she" would use the ruse of spending the night with a friend and meet the man at a neighboring gas station. That meeting was set for early Wednesday evening. When the suspect arrived just after 7 p.m. at the U.S. 1 North service station, undercover detectives took him into custody without incident.
Rivera was was booked into the St. Johns County jail, where he remains without bond. The Sheriff's Office said the investigation is continuing.