ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A woman was arrested early Thursday, accused of the sexual battery of a nonverbal girl, according to a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Katie Malone, 34, is facing the following charges:
- Human trafficking committed upon a disabled person
- Capital sexual battery
- Lewd or lascivious molestation committed upon a disabled person
- Transmission of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- Unlawful use of a two-way communications device
- Production of CSAM
- Sexual performance of a child
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Deputies first received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Wednesday.
The tip was originally reported by Media Lab, Kik, the SJSO report said. Kik is a messaging app that allows users to remain anonymous.
“Kik provided suspect identifiers and multiple-colored photographs and videos of a child being sexually battered,” the report said.
The report shared details provided by Kik about photos and videos appearing to show instances of abuse involving Malone and the girl.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
In more than one of the videos, the child was “vocal stimming (i.e.: unintelligible noises).” Also in more than one of the videos, the child was wearing “sensory headphones.”
In a recorded interview with deputies on body-worn camera, Malone said she knew the child was nonverbal.
Malone is being held in the St. Johns County Jail and was not granted a bond, online jail records show.
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.
