MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A Tennessee man was taken into custody on Sunday after being accused of trying to sexually exploit a 14-year-old girl he met online, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
In a release, deputies said they received a call last month that the girl had run away from her home in southeast Marion County.
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Investigators said they discovered that she had been using the online platform Discord to have “inappropriate conversations” with Wesley Hurd, 29, who went by the username “Vile.vil.”
Detectives soon learned that the girl hadn’t just run away from home — she had been picked up by Hurd and brought back to his home in Tennessee, the release shows.
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Hurd had been “grooming” her, encouraging her to produce child pornography with an 8-year-old and kidnap the child for him, detectives said.
He had also persuaded her to brand herself by carving the letters “VIL” — part of his username — into parts of her body, according to the release.
Eventually, deputies tracked down Hurd and the 14-year-old, and Hurd was arrested, deputies said.
In an interview, Hurd admitted that he would often find “vulnerable underage girls” online, encouraging them to hurt themselves while he watched via video, according to investigators. He would then reportedly create and distribute pornography to these girls.
Following his arrest, Hurd was extradited to the Marion County Jail, where he faces the following charges:
- Human trafficking
- Solicitation to commit human trafficking
- Branding a victim related to human trafficking (Three counts)
- Solicitation to commit kidnapping
- Aggravated child abuse
- Possession of child pornography (20 counts)
- Transmitting child pornography (11 counts)
- Destruction of physical evidence
- Lewd and lascivious exhibition via transmission (Three counts)
- Unlawful use of a two-way community device to facilitate a felony
- Interference with child custody
“The actions of this sick individual are truly among the most disturbing things I have ever heard of in my 32 years in law enforcement,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “It is a reminder that true evil exists in this world and that the internet is the chief means by which these predators try to gain access to children.”
Due to Hurd having numerous photos of children with the username “VIL” branded into them and the conversations he was having with these children, detectives said they believed there could be more victims.
Anyone with information about this or similar cases is urged to contact detectives at (352) 351-4710.
Additionally, tips can be made anonymously at Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-7867.
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