October 24, 2007
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Attorney General's CyberCrime Unit Makes Second Arrest in 24 Hours
~ Volusia County man traveled to meet who he thought was a 13-year old boy for sex ~
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A Volusia County man is in custody today after Attorney General Bill McCollum's Child Predator CyberCrime Unit made its second arrest in 24 hours. Mitchell R. Avery sexually solicited a person he thought was a 13-year old boy and then traveled to meet the "boy" for sex, not realizing he had been chatting online with a member of the Jacksonville CyberCrime Unit. Avery will be charged with traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sex act, a new crime under the CyberCrimes Against Children Act which took effect October 1.
"In less than 24 hours, two internet predators were arrested in different parts of the state, each with the same dangerous intentions. This is the very reason a statewide expansion of this unit is necessary," said Attorney General McCollum. "CyberCrimes know no boundaries, no county or state lines. We will continue to be as aggressive as possible taking these predators offline and off the streets."
Avery approached the undercover CyberCrime investigator in an internet chatroom, believing the investigator was a Jacksonville teenager. Avery, 49, solicited the "boy" with graphic sexual details and arranged to meet the child and return to the child's home to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested at a Jacksonville fast food restaurant by authorities with the CyberCrime Unit and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The arrest culminates a two-month investigation done in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Avery does not have any prior criminal history.
Investigators transported Avery to the Jacksonville Jail where is he being held on charges of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sex act and soliciting a minor. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison. He will be prosecuted by attorneys with the CyberCrime Unit in Jacksonville. Avery's arrest is the 51st made by Attorney General McCollum's Child Predator CyberCrime Unit since October of 2005.
The Unit's mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The unit works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors statewide to provide resources and expertise, while preventing the spread of these crimes through education and community awareness. The Jacksonville Bureau of the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit is a member of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI CyberTask Force, Jacksonville Region.
A copy of Avery's mug shot should be available from the Jacksonville Jail later today.