Staff Reports
A Trenton man was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly planned to meet with a 14-year-old girl to have sex.
According to a Trenton Department of Public Safety (TDPS) social media post, TDPS and Tavares Police Department (TPD) officers arrested Justin M. Harper, 33, when Harper thought he was traveling to meet a 14-year-old girl to have sex.
The investigation started on March 9 when the TPD was involved with “Operation Lucky Strike” and one of the Tavares Police detectives developed a potential suspect that was going to travel to meet with a 14-year-old female. The suspect was identified as Harper.
During the next two weeks, Harper sent sexually explicit videos, photos and text messages to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Harper told the girl that he couldn’t travel to Tavares to meet the girl but convinced her to travel to Trenton.
Law enforcement from the Tavares and Trenton agencies worked together to apprehend Harper and made the arrest on Tuesday.
Harper was transported to the Gilchrist County Jail and is being charged with 12 counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor, traveling to meet a minor, use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony and tampering/destruction of evidence. He is being held on a $2.6 million bond.