Authorities in St. Johns County have arrested and charged a Colombian man, Sebastian Castro, with sexually exploiting a 15-year-old. Castro is accused of using a computer to misrepresent his age while luring the child for sex, sending a porn video to the child, and arranging to meet the child for sex. According to the arrest report, Castro and the teenager met on an e-commerce website, and on two occasions, they met at an undisclosed location in St. Johns County, where the child was sexually exploited. Castro’s IP address, statements he made to detectives, along with the teen’s statements and a photo line-up led to his arrest.
Castro has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child. A judge has set his bond at $500,000, but he is being held on an immigration hold. Attorney Randy Reep, who is not affiliated with the case, explained that there is a disputed immigration status for Castro, and he may have overstayed his VISA or failed to report activities he was supposed to. Given the severity of the charges against Castro, authorities would rather hold him in the U.S. and not allow him to post bond and leave the country.
If convicted, Castro could be sent to prison and then deported back to Columbia after he is released from incarceration. His name would also go into a database that lets U.S. authorities know he is a sex offender should he re-enter the country.
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Source for this article:WJXT