26-Year-Old Sex Offender Was Meeting 14-Year-Old: Largo Police

LARGO, FL — A 26-year-old registered sex offender was arrested by Largo police Wednesday and charged with traveling to meet a minor and lewd and lascivious molestation involving a 14-year-old runaway girl.

In June, Largo police responded to a call for service involving a 14-year-old runaway after her parents discovered she was secretly talking to man via Snapchat. During the investigation, Largo police learned that the man picked the girl up on at least one occasion and took her to his home.

Several days later, the man again picked up the teen, this time posing as the father of one of the teen's friends and met the girl's mother. Largo police said he told the mother he was taking the girl to play with his daughter at his home.

Detectives investigated the claim and discovered that the man posing as a friend's father was actually registered sex offender Austin Powers who had previously been arrested by Plant City police in 2016 for a similar incident.