A 24-year old Clay County man was arrested today after he traveled into St Johns County thinking he was going to have sex with an underage girl, according to information received by Historic City News this afternoon.
24 year-old Brandon Scott Stapler, who lives at 1587 Splash Pine Court in Orange Park, was charged with using a computer service to solicit a parent or guardian for sexual activity with a child and travel with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a child.
He is being held at the St Johns County Detention Facility without bond pending an arraignment hearing Friday morning.
During the investigation, a Sheriff’s Cyber Crimes Detective, posing as the father of a 12-year-old girl, began communicating with Stapler. After numerous text messages between the two over the past week, a meeting was planned for late this morning at a SR-16 motel room near I-95.
Shortly before noon today, Stapler arrived at the motel. Stapler was met and escorted by the undercover detective into a room where he believed the 12-year-old child was waiting. Stapler was taken into custody without incident by other detectives waiting inside the room.
Stapler was transported to the Sheriff’s Office where he was questioned and booked.