Clay Today staff
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Colorado man with a history of developing relationships with young girls online then going to meet them was arrested Monday, Jan. 12, after allgedly being found naked in a Clay County girl’s bedroom.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will handle the prosecution of John B. Coe of Denver because the case crosses state lines and his previous criminal history, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said.
According to an arrest report, the mother of the 14-year-old victim heard a male voice coming from her daughter’s bedroom shortly after midnight at their home in the 600 block of Wakeview Drive and went to investigate, the report says.
The woman said when she walked in a naked man was attempting to hide. She then called 911, the report says.
Coe, 20, was charged with lewd battery, traveling to meet a minor and solicitation of a child, the report says.
The Sheriff’s Office said Coe and the girl met while playing an Internet game that allows participants to communicate with each other while online.
Coe was arrested in July 2008 by the Glacier County Sheriff's Office in Montana following a similar incident, the Sheriff’s office said. Both Sheriff’s offices are working with the FBI in their respective states to compile and share information on Coe's on-line practices.
Coe's computer and other evidence have been seized by authorities in Montana. Coe remains in the Clay County Jail on $40,000 bond.
In light of Coe’s arrest, the Sheriff’s office said it was reminding parents about the potential dangers of on-line gaming sites. Investigators believe Coe used a gaming site known as mabinogi.nexon.net, the Sheriff’s Office said, but there are others that allow game participants to communicate while playing.
January 18th 2009 - 8:09PM