St. Johns County man accused of sending explicit messages to teen

Richard Confer, 47, arrested

Richard Confer (photo provided by the Leon County Sheriff's Office)

A St. Johns County man is accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a teenager on Snapchat, authorities said.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office took a complaint reporting the messages, which had been sent to a 14-year-old girl, and started looking into Richard Confer, 47, deputies said.

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This spurred a monthslong investigation. Authorities said they were eventually able to develop probable cause for Confer’s arrest, and obtain a search warrant for his home.

On Feb. 1, members of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed warrants on Picolata Forest Drive, which is where Confer lives.

The Task Force consisted of members of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

When the warrant was served, Confer was taken into custody and brought to the St. Johns County Jail.

Confer is charged with five counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor and one count of online solicitation of a minor.