An Indiana man is facing sex crime charges after he allegedly walked more than 350 miles to have sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl in Wisconsin, the Department of Justice announced in a release on Friday.
Prosecutors say Tommy Lee Jenkins, 32, began exchanging messages with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl living with her mother in Neenah, Wisconsin, named 'Kylee' on Oct.1. According to the text messages, Jenkins began demanding sexually explicit photos of the girl and made plans to have sex with her, the press release from the DOJ states.
Jenkins, who recently moved to Whitestown, Indiana, asked 'Kylee' multiple times to join him in Indiana, but his requests were denied. At one point, Jenkins decided to walk the 351-miles between his home in Whitestown and Neenah.
As he journeyed toward the girl, Jenkins continued to exchange sexually explicit messages with his target, and continued to update her on his location. The DOJ says Jenkins sent 'Kylee' multiple selfies of himself, as well as photos of exit signs and other landmarks he'd seen along his trek. At one point, Jenkins reportedly told 'Kylee' that he wanted to have 'multiple children' with her and that he wanted to start as soon as possible.
On Oct. 10, Jenkins informed 'Kylee' that he'd reached Neenah. That's when Winnebago County deputies and a special agent with the FBI arrested him on federal charges of using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, the release stated.
“Our nation faces an epidemic of child sexual abuse, with the Internet making it too easy for predators to communicate with children across the country,” said United States Attorney Krueger. “The Justice Department is committed to working with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to prosecute child sexual abuse aggressively.”
Jenkins faces a minimum of ten years and up to life in prison if convicted of the charges against him.
Photo: Winnebago County Jail