Justin Stephens faces charges of rape, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and enticing a child for immoral purposes.
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A Kentucky man is locked up after authorities said he traveled more than 400 miles to a North Alabama school, pretended to be a young girl's father, checked her out of school, and sexually assaulted her.
Justin Stephens faces charges of rape, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and enticing a child for immoral purposes. He's being held at the Lauderdale County Jail on a $365,000 bond.
Investigators with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office told WAAY 31 they believe Stephens and the victim were communicating for weeks on social media apps. They urge parents to understand the importance of monitoring what their kids are doing online.
“Know who their friends are," said Sgt. Joshua Carson. "Be their friends on social media. Not to say they can't have a separate account, but know who those friends are. Try to make sure the friends they have are people they know and are not just random internet users that can start these kinds of things and conversations."
Investigators said the Muscle Shoals Police Department received a report from the victim's father Sept. 19. Stephens allegedly called the victim's school the day before pretending to be her father and checking her out of school. Investigators said Stephens and the victim traveled to a hotel and an abandoned building where the victim was sexually assaulted and then taken back to school. Stephens was caught by authorities in Ohio over the weekend and brought back to Lauderdale County.
“He's held on a $365,000 bond on the charge of rape second, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and enticing a child to enter a motor vehicle," said Carson. "He will be held here basically until he can either make a bond and then he will have the pending charges in Muscle Shoals.â€
The Lauderdale County School System released a statement Tuesday stating they are aware of the ongoing investigation and are cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies.
Investigator with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, Macy Hughes, said, “The biggest giveaway in this is social media. All my kids that come through these doors that are victims have been through social media platforms. Whether it's Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook, there's all kinds of other social media platforms that parents don't know about. They are meeting people who they have no idea who they are. They can be in other states or overseas, and it's differently a danger and a threat because they can find out where people live."
