OCALA, Fla. — An Ocala man is facing three charges of soliciting a child for sexual conduct via text messages and ten counts of sending explicit material to a child, according to Ocala Police.
On Friday, police arrested 39-year-old Jerry Aguilar after the victim’s mother looked through her child’s phone and discovered that Jerry Aguilar had been sending inappropriate text messages to the victim and contacted the police.
The victim is a 13-year-old girl.
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Police discovered that Aguilar had been texting the victim for several weeks, with evidence suggesting he was grooming the child to be comfortable with him.
With the cooperation of the victim and her mother, an Ocala police detective conducted an operation where Aguilar was unaware that he was communicating with the detective posing as the victim, according to a news release.
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Police said that during this exchange, Aguilar made multiple sexual references, sent sexually explicit content, and solicited the child victim to engage in sexual conduct, leading to his arrest.
Police are concerned that there may be other victims and urge any potential victims to come forward.
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Aguilar is a horse trainer and coach with children under his supervision, so we urge any potential victims to come forward.
In the release, police reminded parents to be vigilant about their children’s phone activities and know who they are communicating with at all times.
Aguilar is being held in the Marion County Jail on no bond.
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