Man who allegedly lured teen arrested
A convicted child molester who allegedly lured a Florida teenager away from her home was arrested Saturday in Virginia.
Virginia State Police took William Joseph Mitchell into custody at a truck stop in Winchester, The Ledger of Lakeland, Fla., reported.
Investigators in Polk County say that Mitchell met a 15-year-old girl online and pretended to be 23, half his actual age. He picked her up at her home in Bartow around 2 or 3 a.m. Monday and remained with her until he left her at a Wal-Mart on Tuesday afternoon.
Mitchell allegedly threatened the girl, saying he would shoot her if she did anything to attract attention while they were in the store together, police said.
The Florida Times-Union reported that Mitchell, a Jacksonville resident, has a long criminal record. He was recently released after serving a prison term for sexually assaulting the 13-year-old daughter of an ex-girlfriend. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Comments