Detective: Man, 48, sent sexual messages to girl he met online

An Enterprise, Ala., man tried to meet with a 14-year-old girl in Columbus Wednesday afternoon after exchanging sexual messages with her online, according to testimony Friday in Recorder’s Court.

Jeffrey Allen Smith, the 48-year-old man who authorities said may have had plans to “pick her up,” pleaded not guilty to attempt to interfere with custody, possession of obscene material and possession of marijuana.

Detective Amanda Hogan of the Columbus Police Department’s Special Victims Unit said the agency received information Tuesday concerning a 14-year-old girl meeting several men online.

Hogan seized her phone and noticed several Facebook messages from Smith, who they knew was much older.

The victim and defendant had been sending each other video chats and messages after meeting about two weeks ago on a mobile app called Mixer, according to police.

The girl told Allen that she wanted to leave her mother and the two discussed him possibly driving her to Enterprise, Hogan told the court.

“They did discuss several times very sexual, intimate acts together,” she added.

Officials learned that he had rented a hotel room in Columbus and visited the girl’s residence located less than a mile away from River Road. He stood outside her home, but returned to his hotel room without attempting to enter her home, Hogan testified.

“He actually took a picture standing outside of her apartment, and said, ‘I feel like I’m a stalker,’” the detective said. “He kind of laughed it off.”

Hogan said investigators began intercepting the messages, portraying themselves as the 14-year-old girl. He then sent a text message telling the girl he was going to visit her.

Undercover officers waited at the victim’s apartment Wednesday afternoon and surrounded the suspect when he arrived to the area around 1 p.m. He immediately claimed that the girl was 19 years old, according to police.

“We didn’t ask him anything,” Hogan testified. “That was the first thing out of his mouth.”

Hogan said the victim did portray herself as being 19 years old on the Mixer app, but she didn’t even look old enough to be 16.

In the messages, Allen questioned the girl about her age multiple times and admitted to being nervous about meeting her because “something just didn’t add up,” Hogan told the court.

“Several times during messages that you read, it’s pretty apparent that she lives with her mother or depends on her mother for certain things,” the detective testified.

Police took Allen into custody on the scene. He gave authorities permission to search his cellphone, according to the detective’s testimony.

Hogan said officers found a small bag of marijuana in his wallet and a nude photo of the victim on his cellphone. It’s unclear whether the victim sent the image or the defendant took a snapshot during one of their video chats, she noted.

“According to him, he had no intentions on the day that he showed up to take her and there was no intention of having sex,” Hogan said. “Of course, we do not know that for sure.”

Police said they also found several messages on Allen’s phone between him and other possible victims. Officials are investigating further to confirm the ages of those other individuals.

Judge Michael Joyner ordered Allen held in the Muscogee County Jail under bonds totaling $3,000. The case was bound over to Superior Court.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Detective: Man, 48, sent sexual messages to girl he met online."