A man was arrested after he arranged to meet with a juvenile for sex during an undercover sex sting that netted 13 other arrests.
Kurtis Carmean, 25, of St. Augustine solicited sex with a juvenile from who he thought was her father, according to St. Johns County deputies.
He arranged to meet the child at an undercover house in the western part of St. Johns County.
Carmean was charged with using a computer to solicit parent/guardian of a child for unlawful sexual conduct and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
He turned himself into officials on Thursday and was booked into jail on a $50,000 bond.
St. Johns County Sheriff's Office arrested 13 other people in the April sex sting Operation End of the Road.
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Law and safety expert Dale Carson says undercover operations like these happen all the time. Some defendants will claim entrapment, claiming they were encouraged or enticed by undercover agents.
"It's imperative for the government to show they didn’t create this type of situation, which would not have existed except for the behavior of the government," Carson said.
Neighbor Jessica Everhart says detectives need to continue to go undercover to save children.
"I have three younger siblings so I would much rather officers go undercover to protect my siblings and other kids rather than children going on and becoming a victim," Everhart said.
Carson said that’s often a stance taken by the courts, as well.
"The courts are looking at this and saying this is a problem; society is better with these people out of the mix because they’re dangerous to children and were going to allow the government to have a little more latitude," Carson said.
Cox Media Group
