Related Federal Cases
Tennessee Man Charged with Transporting Minor in Ohio
CINCINNATI – Charges have been filed in the Southern District of Ohio against a Tennessee man with whom a previously missing Colerain teenager was found in Florida on March 13.
Stephen L. Negron, 42, of Rogersville, Tennessee, is charged federally with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
"I want to commend the excellent work of the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation, recovery, and prosecution," said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. "My office is proud to partner with these outstanding public servants to ensure that our children remain safe from those who seek to prey upon them."
According to charging documents, cell phone data revealed the victim’s cell phone was powered off on Feb. 13. Just prior to being turned off, cell site data placed the phone at an intersection near the victim’s home.
Subsequent review of area security cameras showed a silver Chevrolet pickup truck with a Tennessee license plate number registered to Negron in the vicinity at the same time. Investigators used license plate readers to track the truck’s previous travel southbound through Kentucky and into Tennessee.
Negron will be transferred to the Southern District of Ohio to face his charges here. Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Colerain Township Police Chief Edwin C. Cordie III and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the charges.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office (Florida), Palatka Police Department (Florida), FBI Jacksonville, FBI Nashville, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee have all played integral parts in this investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Stephen L. Negron, 42, of Rogersville, Tennessee, faces a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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