BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KRON) — A group of teenagers in California are behind an investigation into a man who was arrested this week on federal charges of child exploitation.
Three teenage boys created a fake Tinder profile posing as a 14-year-old girl they named “Kelsey” in October 2019.
A man, now known as Jeremy Adams, swiped “right,” meaning he showed interest in speaking to the girl, according to a criminal complaint.
The 44-year-old Adams expressed his desire to make “Kelsey” his “sex slave” and said he “kind of loved that” she was 14 and in high school, the complaint stated.
They talked for two weeks before agreeing to meet at a Starbucks in Brentwood, California. Three teenagers confronted Adams at the Starbucks, and he ran.
According to the complaint, as soon as Adams entered the Starbucks, the teens confronted him about allegedly trying to pick up a 14-year-old girl. They chased him through the streets of Brentwood while recording him.
Adams never responded and continued running until he fell into a creek. Adams then climbed out of the creek and headed toward an elementary school, where he was again cornered by the teens, the complaint said. It also stated that during an altercation at the school, Adams placed one of the juveniles in a headlock but was not immediately captured by police.
Brentwood investigators found that Adams had traveled out of state to meet with an underage girl, according to the complaint. They also found evidence that he had sexually abused her at an airport hotel.
Authorities, who had been looking for Adams since last November, said he was difficult to track down because he was allegedly using “ruse IP addresses” to evade arrest.
Brentwood police say it wasn’t until they sent a note to his mom’s house saying that he needed to pick up property at the police station that he was finally taken into custody on Tuesday.
Authorities are still investigating the possibility that there are additional victims.