A 43-year-old man faces accusations of posing as the father of a 15-year-old girl to collect her from an Alabama school, subsequently taking her to an abandoned house where he allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse.
Justin Stephens has been charged with second-degree rape involving a victim aged 12 to 15, as well as charges related to traveling to meet a child for sexual purposes and enticing a child.
A complaint from the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office reveals that Stephens contacted Central High School in Florence on September 18, informing staff that the girl required a check-out.
Footage from surveillance cameras reportedly captured the girl getting into his black Dodge truck at approximately 9 a.m. and coming back to the school around 2 p.m.
The affidavit stated that Stephens brought the girl to a deserted house on County Road 222 where they had sexual intercourse. Authorities eventually located Stephens at a hotel in Colbert County, where he reportedly confessed to the crime.
He reportedly admitted to sharing explicit images with the girl on his phone. Stephens reportedly made a journey of about 500 miles from his residence in Lowmansville, Kentucky, to the school to meet the girl.
According to Lauderdale County Sheriff Sgt. Josh Casson, the girl possessed a cellphone that her parents were unaware of, and it seems she connected with Stephens through social media. After discovering the phone, the parents turned it over to investigators, who then revealed messages exchanged between the two parties.
“Always monitor your kid’s social media,” Casson said. “Look at who they’re talking to and try to make sure their friends online are not friends they don’t know which is almost impossible in today’s world.”
The Lauderdale County School System acknowledged the incident in a statement and confirmed its cooperation with authorities. Stephens remains incarcerated with a bond set at $365,000.