PALM COAST, Fla. – A quiet Palm Coast neighborhood was rocked Wednesday after 18-year-old Paul Dykes Jr. and his ex-girlfriend, 20-year-old Erin Marie Vickers, were accused of abusing two little girls under age 5 and possessing child pornography.
Dan Butler lives right across the street and says he's known the Dykeses for years.
"It's a real shock. They were a nice family," Butler said.
Dykes was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers in his home on March 26 on 10 counts of possessing child pornography. As the investigation continued, officers said that they found images of Dykes abusing a child under age 5 and Vickers abusing another little girl under the age of 5.
The FDLE began its investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"We began it with a tip and followed through with it. It's important to keep these people off of our streets. So now they're in jail and facing prison," FDLE spokesperson Gretl Plessinger said.
Wednesday morning, FDLE agents and Flagler County deputies arrested Vickers on a charge of capital sexual battery on a child under 12. Both Dykes and Vickers are being held in the Flagler County Jail without bond.
The FDLE also said that the investigation is not over and anyone with information on this case is asked to call the FDLE Jacksonville Regional Operations Center at 1-800-226-6481.