Kaufman County Authorities Looking To Identify More Victims Of Accused Online Predator
FORNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Kaufman County Sheriff's Office investigators and the Texas Rangers are requesting the public's assistance to identify any other children or teens that may have been contacted online or victimized by Taylor Craft.
Taylor Blake Craft, 24, of Forney was indicted by a Kaufman County Grand Jury on Friday, May 31 on 12 felonies including sexual assault of a child, online solicitation of a minor, publish/threat to publish intimate visual material, possession of child pornography and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Craft has pending charges in Dallas and Rockwall Counties as well.
The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that in January, the department received information from investigators of the Rocky Hill Police Department in Connecticut that a man from Kaufman County had solicited nude photographs via Snapchat from an underage female in their jurisdiction.
KCSO and the Texas Rangers began a joint investigation and Taylor Craft was identified as the man who contacted "numerous underage females" via the social media site.
"We believe that Craft also created and used a fictitious Snapchat account, under a female's name to gain the confidence of his victims and overtime would convince them to meet Craft. Craft is reported to have threatened to expose the nude photos he had obtained if the victim refused his sexual advances," the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Investigators have identified more than 15 victims.
"It is our belief based on the volume of photographs that were in Craft's possession; there are many other victims who have yet to be identified," the release stated.
Craft remains in custody in the Kaufman County Jail, his bond has been set at $2,675,000.
Investigators encourage anyone who may have been approached or contacted by this individual to contact Investigator Jimmy Weisbruch at the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office at 972-932-9735.
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