PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — A Ponte Vedra man pretending to be a tutor has been charged with attempting to get a child to participate in sexual activities. Kevin Wilson tried to do it by tricking parents.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Action News Jax Annette Gutierrez searched through the Facebook group where this all started. There are more than a dozen job posts where “Kevin Wilson” commented with his phone number under his wife’s profile. Some of those posts involved a job with kids involved.
Kathy Bargar has been Wilson’s neighbor for a year and a half. She says she never would have suspected this.
“You never know who’s living next door to you, " Bargar said. “He went to our Catholic church that’s in Nocatee, so I’m surprised.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Prosecutors say on July 20, a Facebook user posted on a public group looking for a tutor in St. Augustine. Police say Wilson used his wife’s account to comment, “Hi please text my husband Kevin.” He would then give his phone number.
Detectives say in this case, the Facebook user reached out to Wilson, but as soon as Wilson asked for a picture of the 11-year-old girl, the parent reached out to police. That’s when an undercover detective took over the conversation and pretended to be the girl’s dad. Wilson texted that detective, “I can teach her how to have sex.”
“It’s devastating, I can’t believe it,” Bargar said.
Wilson also spoke to undercover detectives pretending to be the girl. They ultimately agreed to meet, and that’s when Wilson got arrested.
Searching through his history, we learned this isn’t the first time this has happened.
In 2017, he faced charges in Seminole County. Prosecutors say he messaged a 13-year-old girl to meet and take pictures of her in her underwear. In that case, he ended up getting a plea deal: four years of probation with community service. He was not put on the sex offender registry.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“Individuals who have a pattern of criminal activity tend to reengage in that activity,” former FBI agent Dale Carson said.
Carson has decades of experience working with the FBI, and he says incidents like this are becoming more frequent online. So, he says it’s important for parents to look out for the warning signs and monitor their child’s online activity.
“When an adult is calling directly to your child and doesn’t want you to be involved in the conversation, that should raise a big red flag for you,” Carson said.
Gutierrez tried calling Wilson but couldn’t get through.
If convicted, Wilson faces a minimum penalty of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. Wilson was arrested on July 24 and is pending trial.
His next court date is set for Aug. 8.
If you see any suspicious online interactions, you can report it the FBI Jacksonville office at 904-248-7000. You can find more information here.
You can also contact the local police department and/or National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or online.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
