Alleged online child predator arrested in Ventura
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - An alleged online child predator was arrested in Ventura and has since been released as he awaits his next court date.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, an investigation revealed 23-year-old Carter Newell used Instagram and Snapchat to contact and meet underage girls.
He was arrested in Ventura on Sept. 22.
Newell's arrest came after someone reported a 13-year-old girl engaging in an inappropriate relationship with Newell to the Thousand Oaks Police School Resource Officers.
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According to the investigation, Newell used Snapchat to talk to the victim and asked her to send explicit photos. A search warrant was served at Newell's Ventura home.
His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 7.
Authorities believe there may be more victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Thousand Oaks Police Department School Resource Officers, Deputy Amanda Salas at (805) 947-8256, Deputy Vince Grillo at (805) 947-9298, or at TOSRO@ventura.org. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Parents are reminded that sexual predators often create social media accounts with fake profiles and use photos of younger people to make it easier to communicate with underage children. As a reminder, parents are advised to monitor social media activity and encourage them to make their accounts private and talk to kids about the dangers of accepting or following accounts they are not familiar with.