CCSO: Diaz Diaz communicated online with detectives, not teen
Diaz Diaz
A Jacksonville man was arrested Friday evening after authorities say he traveled to Lake City to meet with a teenage girl for sex.
Instead of a 14-year-old girl, though, 35-year-old Selwyn Yomar Diaz Diaz’s date was with Columbia County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Diaz Diaz was arrested and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on charges of traveling to meet a minor, solicitation of a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
“This is a sobering reminder of the dangers that exist to our children,” Sheriff Mark Hunter said in a statement. “We work proactively with these types of cases to prevent children from becoming victims, but this could have easily been an actual juvenile who could have been victimized. With electronic devices being so common, I would encourage parents to always monitor what their children are doing and who they are communicating with.”
According to a CCSO release, the investigation began Wednesday when detectives with the agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit were contacted by Diaz Diaz, who thought he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl, through social media.
During the conversation, Diaz Diaz made plans to meet the child in Lake City. He then traveled from Jacksonville on Friday to meet he girl at a pre-arranged location.
Instead, the location was under surveillance by undercover detectives, who took Diaz Diaz into custody when he arrived.
The release states Diaz Diaz admitted to detectives that he intended to meet the teen and take her back to Jacksonville with him.