Man Allegedly Walks 350 Miles For Sex With 14-Year-Old, But Meets Sheriff's Deputy Instead
An Indiana man got an unwelcome surprise after walking hundreds of miles miles to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex when he discovered the "teen" had really been an undercover sheriff’s deputy.
Tommy Lee Jenkins, 32, is now facing charges of using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity after authorities say he traveled on foot from Whitestown, Indiana, to Neenah, Wisconsin, to have sex with a teen he met online, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to authorities, Jenkins began exchanging instant messages with “Kylee”— who he believed was a 14-year-old girl living with her mother — on Oct. 1.
"do u care im 14 and drink?" the "teen" asked Jenkins in one of their initial interactions, according to court records.
Jenkins replied that he didn't, before later suggesting the "teen" should come visit him in Indiana.
"If i had the money I would bring you up we're I am at right now and I would so you know how a dad should be to you," he allegedly wrote according to the records. But the conversation soon turned X-rated as Jenkins allegedly asked the "teen" whether she had had sex, which "port" she had used and said he would check her private area when she arrived to make sure she was ok.
Jenkins also allegedly repeatedly asked her to send sexually explicit photos of herself, and told "Kylee" he wanted to have sex with her.
"we will have sex soon as you get here and u will not what to stop at all and u will not have no close on," he allegedly said during the exchange.
When she refused to travel to Indiana to have sex with him, Jenkins began the 351-mile trek to Wisconsin on foot, updating her of his progress along the way in sexually explicit conversations he continued to have with the “teen,” prosecutors say.
Jenkins allegedly sent “Kylee” selfies of himself and photos of landmarks, including churches and exit signs, throughout his trek, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by The Indianapolis Star.
He told “Kylee” he wanted to have 500 children with her, including one within a year, court documents said.
On Thursday, he told “Kylee” he had made it to Milwaukee and that someone had bought him a bus ticket to the teen’s house.
But when he arrived in Winnebago County, he discovered that “Kylee” was really a Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He was arrested by sheriff’s deputies and the FBI.
If convicted, Jenkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.
It is not Jenkin’s first brush with the law. In 2011, he was charged with two counts of repeated-first degree sexual assault of a young boy. He was sentenced the following year to four years of probation after the charges were reduced to four counts of child abuse, the Oshkosh Northwestern reports.
An Indiana man got an unwelcome surprise after walking hundreds of miles miles to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex when he discovered the "teen" had really been an undercover sheriff’s deputy.
Tommy Lee Jenkins, 32, is now facing charges of using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity after authorities say he traveled on foot from Whitestown, Indiana, to Neenah, Wisconsin, to have sex with a teen he met online, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to authorities, Jenkins began exchanging instant messages with “Kylee”— who he believed was a 14-year-old girl living with her mother — on Oct. 1.
"do u care im 14 and drink?" the "teen" asked Jenkins in one of their initial interactions, according to court records.
Jenkins replied that he didn't, before later suggesting the "teen" should come visit him in Indiana.
"If i had the money I would bring you up we're I am at right now and I would so you know how a dad should be to you," he allegedly wrote according to the records. But the conversation soon turned X-rated as Jenkins allegedly asked the "teen" whether she had had sex, which "port" she had used and said he would check her private area when she arrived to make sure she was ok.
Jenkins also allegedly repeatedly asked her to send sexually explicit photos of herself, and told "Kylee" he wanted to have sex with her.
"we will have sex soon as you get here and u will not what to stop at all and u will not have no close on," he allegedly said during the exchange.
When she refused to travel to Indiana to have sex with him, Jenkins began the 351-mile trek to Wisconsin on foot, updating her of his progress along the way in sexually explicit conversations he continued to have with the “teen,” prosecutors say.
Jenkins allegedly sent “Kylee” selfies of himself and photos of landmarks, including churches and exit signs, throughout his trek, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by The Indianapolis Star.
He told “Kylee” he wanted to have 500 children with her, including one within a year, court documents said.
On Thursday, he told “Kylee” he had made it to Milwaukee and that someone had bought him a bus ticket to the teen’s house.
But when he arrived in Winnebago County, he discovered that “Kylee” was really a Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He was arrested by sheriff’s deputies and the FBI.
If convicted, Jenkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.
It is not Jenkin’s first brush with the law. In 2011, he was charged with two counts of repeated-first degree sexual assault of a young boy. He was sentenced the following year to four years of probation after the charges were reduced to four counts of child abuse, the Oshkosh Northwestern reports.
