A Jacksonville man was arrested early Friday evening March 17th, after he travelled to Columbia County to meet a 14 year old girl for sex. Selwyn Yomar Diaz Diaz (35) was apprehended by detectives after he had been communicating with who he thought was a 14 year old female. In reality, Diaz Diaz was communicating with one of our detectives the entire time.
The investigation began on March 15, 2023 when detectives from our Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit were contacted by Diaz Diaz through a social media platform. The suspect believed he was speaking with a 14 year old female and made arrangements to meet the teen in Lake City. The suspect travelled from Jacksonville to meet the teen at a pre-arranged location. Undercover detectives were conducting surveillance at the location and when Diaz Diaz arrived, he was taken into custody without incident.
“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.”
Diaz Diaz ultimately confessed to detectives that he intended on meeting the teen in Lake City and taking her back to Jacksonville with him. He was booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility and charged with Travelling to meet a minor, Solicitation of a minor, and Unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
