EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A Phoenix man who allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl from Georgia he met on a social media platform and later transported to Arizona is facing federal felony charges.
Police on Friday raided the home of Blane Christopher Patterson and allegedly found him inside a bedroom in the company of the girl, whose family had reported as missing on July 28. Both were unclothed and sharing a bed, court records show.
Patterson, 28, was read his rights and consented to an interview; he told investigators he met the girl through the online platform Discord when she was 13 and was told by the girl recently that “conditions were bad” at her home. According to court records, Patterson said he drove from Arizona to Georgia and brought the now-14 years old girl to his home – a 3,600-mile roundtrip.
FBI and forensic investigators specializing in crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children interviewed the girl on Saturday and allegedly were told a 15-year-old relative introduced her to Patterson on the Discord platform a year ago.
The girl told investigators she told Patterson her true age and that he stated his as well as they used the instant messaging and videochat functions of Discord, court records show. The two allegedly exposed themselves to each other on video.
The girl identified by the pseudonym of Jane Doe told investigators she left home during a “sleepover” at a friend’s house and left a note to her family stating she planned to commit suicide. The girl said Patterson picked her up in Georgia and touched her on at least one occasion at a rest stop along the way; she said they had sex “four to five times” since arriving in Arizona, court records show.
The girl said she cut her hair and dyed it blonde and represented herself as being 19 years old when Patterson introduced her to his family, according to court records.
Patterson was arrested and charged with one count of transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity, and one count of travel across state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity (sex with a minor).
The case is pending in the court of U.S. Magistrate Judge Eileen Willett in Phoenix.