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Brownstown man accused of driving to Ohio to meet 11 year old for sex
Jamari Chatman is charged with receipt of child pornography as well as coercion and enticement. Federal investigators say he started talking to the girl back in September.
FOX 2 (WJBK) - A Brownstown Township man is facing federal charges for driving to southern Ohio - to meet an 11-year-old girl - that he sought out on a video gaming app.
Jamari Chatman is charged with receipt of child pornography as well as coercion and enticement. Federal investigators say he started talking to the girl back in September.
Agents raided Chatman's home two weeks ago.
"But they were lined up all the way down here to the front of our house it's like seven cop cars," said neighbor Eric Cohen. "We saw them get out there like you know, the battering ram for the door they said they had a search warrant."
Neighbors watched as the feds raided a home in Brownstown Township in search of a 21-year-old man accused of exchanging explicit messages and nude photographs with an 11-year-old girl.
"If it is their son, I feel sorry for the parents because it's unfortunate they seem like good people," said Angie Cyphers.
Investigators say Chatman struck up a relationship with the girl on Discord, an encrypted messaging service, where she claimed to be 13 years old.
According to an affidavit, the pair exchanged graphic messages, pictures, and videos. Chatman even drove more than 200 miles from Brownstown to the Cincinnati area to have sex with the girl.
His plans went awry as the 11-year-old refused to get into his car when he tried to pick her up.
"We’ve always had pedophiles, we’ve always had predators," said Dr. Gerald Shiener. "We’ve always had boundary violations between older teenagers or young men and children. And that’s always been part of our society.
"I think we’re hearing about it more, and I think it’s easier for these kids or these victims, and in a way, they’re both victims, to connect with each other because of social media, because of certain applications that are encrypted."
Shiener, a psychiatrist, says that reality should encourage parents and guardians to be vigilant about what their kids are doing online.
"If you see the signs of your child being withdrawn spending more time in their room than spending time with their friends," he said. "Being secretive being anxious and nervous when you ask them what they're doing, being anxious and surprised when you open the door and go into their room, those are the things you look at."
And according to investigators Chatman was in contact with other young girls as well. If convicted he could spend at least 15 years in federal prison.