June 15, 2009
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Pinellas County Man Arrested for Soliciting Online Sexual Activity from a Pennsylvania Teenager
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Pinellas County man has been arrested on charges he used the internet to sexually solicit a Pennsylvania teenager and groomed her to engage in sexual activity online. Michael John Tyler was arrested by the Attorney Generals’ CyberCrime Unit after receiving a cybertip from Pennsylvania authorities about Tyler’s alleged criminal activity. The tip was referred to the Pennsylvania authorities after the victim called the National Suicide Hotline.
“The danger posed by internet child predators knows no boundaries or geographical limits,” said Attorney General McCollum. “In this case, a young child was so destroyed by the abuse, she was considering ending her life hundreds of miles away.”
Acting on the tip from Pennsylvania, CyberCrime investigators executed a search warrant at Tyler’s Oldsmar home today and seized two computers and a laptop, which will undergo forensic evidence to identify any additional evidence, including any possible images of child pornography. Tyler, 27, admitted to soliciting the 15-year old to commit lewd and lascivious acts while chatting with Tyler online and talking to him on the phone.
Tyler will be charged with one count of lewd and lascivious conduct. Additional charges may be added at later date. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clearwater Police Department all assisted with today’s arrest as part of the Attorney General’s Tampa CyberCrime Task Force. The victim is currently receiving services from victim advocates.