OCALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) – Deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a Pennsylvania man after being told he traveled more than 1,000 miles to stalk a teenage social media influencer.
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According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, 29-year-old jarred Easter of Torevos, Pennsylvania, was arrested “after developing a paranoid online fixation with a 14-year-old social media influencer.”
Officials said Easter had sent “intrusive emails, nude photos and obsessive messages” to the girl’s social media-connected email account for three months.
Easter is said to have tracked the teenage location through social media before showing up at his Walton County home.
Officials say Easter confronted the girl’s father in the driveway and asked her to talk to her, then her father requested an Easter holiday.
The girl’s father was called WCSO, who got an Easter arrest warrant. Authorities reportedly were able to track Easter down to a hotel in Crestview.
Easter was handed over to Walton County Tuesday.
Easter is accused of “many” counts sending harmful substances to minors, traveling to meet minors for sex, and using computers to solicit children.
Officials said Easter had been ordered to wear a GPS monitor without contact with minors or accessing the internet. He was given a bond of $250,000.
WCSO staff provided parents with tips on how to keep their children safe online.
Regularly monitor your child’s online accounts, and direct messages encourage children to not share certain details such as school names, neighbourhoods, sibling names, and frequent hangouts. Use your privacy settings to restrict who can view or comment on your child’s posts.
WCSO officials said they are continuing to investigate the incident.
