A 31-year-old Florida man was arrested and faces costs after police say he hid a lacking Ohio teen and deliberate to have intercourse along with her.
Detective Henrick Osthed arrested Thomas Ebersole on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office mentioned in a information launch.
An FBI particular agent had reached out to Det. Osthed for help in finding the lacking 16-year-old lady.
Investigators discovered the lady after she logged into World of Warcraft, a web-based online game, from Ebersole’s residence deal with in Dunnellon, police mentioned.
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Thomas Ebersole: Arrested for allegedly interfering with little one custody, sheltering an single minor and touring to fulfill a minor to have interaction in sexual exercise in Marion County, Florida on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. (Marion County Sheriff’s Workplace)
Upon additional investigation, authorities realized that Ebersole additionally had a World of Warcraft account that was accessed from the placement.
When legislation enforcement contacted Ebersole, he initially denied realizing the lacking lady. Nonetheless, when pressed, he allegedly admitted that he had driven to Ohio to fulfill the juvenile sufferer and introduced her again to his residence.
Ebersole instructed police he was in a romantic relationship with the minor and mentioned he was going to cover her in his residence and ultimately marry her, in accordance with the information launch.
Ebersole turned over messages on the web chat app Discord to Det. Osthed that detailed his plans to fulfill the lady in Ohio and have interaction in sexual exercise along with her, regardless of realizing he was committing a criminal offense, police mentioned.
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Copies of the ‘World of Warcraft’ laptop online game sit on show inside a Finest Purchase retailer in New York, Friday, Could 11,2007. Authorities traced the lacking teen’s location to Thomas Ebersole’s residence after she logged into her World of Warcraft account from there, police mentioned. (Jin Lee/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos)
He was arrested and booked in Marion County Jail, the place the sheriff’s workplace mentioned he stays with out bond.
Ebersole faces costs of interfering with little one custody, touring to fulfill a minor to have interaction in sexual exercise, and sheltering an single minor.
Legislation enforcement businesses have warned that kids face a rising menace of being sexually exploited over the internet.
Based on the Nationwide Middle for Lacking and Exploited Kids (NCME), stories of “Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts” have grown by 82% since 2021 and 113% since 2020.
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An Apple iPhone 11 smartphone with the Discord software program app brand on display screen, taken on January 27, 2020. Ebersole allegedly admitted to creating plans to fulfill the Ohio teen and have intercourse along with her on Discord, a chat messaging app. (Phil Barker/Future Publishing by way of Getty Photos)
NCME attributed the expansion, partially, to a spike in financial sextortion, outlined as “a crime in which kids are targeted to share explicit photos and then threatened by offenders that they will share the images with the child’s friends, family, or others if they don’t give the blackmailer money.”
An NBC report revealed earlier this 12 months detailed how Discord, which boasts 150 million customers worldwide, has been utilized by little one predators to groom kids, commerce little one sexual exploitation materials and extort minors whom they trick into sending nude photographs.
The report recognized 35 instances over the previous six years wherein adults had been prosecuted on costs of kidnapping, grooming or sexual assault that allegedly concerned chat messages on Discord.
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Discord has group pointers which warn minors “do not engage in sexual conduct or any conduct that puts your online or physical safety at risk.” The platform additionally prohibits adults from soliciting sexual conduct or participating in any sexual conduct with individuals underneath the age of 18.
Discord disabled 128,153 accounts and eliminated 7,736 servers for Little one Security between July and September 2023, in accordance with the corporate’s third quarter transparency report. The corporate mentioned it reported 51,916 accounts to NCME, a 40% enhance from the earlier quarter.
Fox Information Digital’s C.B. Cotton contributed to this report.
