POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Cape Coral man is accused of making disturbing threats against an 11-year-old Polk County girl, telling her if she did not send him nude photos of herself, he was going to ask people to rape her, set her house on fire or hurt her.
25-year-old Lucas Bales of Cape Coral was booked into the Polk County Jail on Feb. 16 and faces multiple charges in connection with the threats.
A Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the investigation began on Feb. 8, when a Polk County man contacted the sheriff’s office about his 11-year-old daughter being harassed by an unknown person calling himself “.Daddy” on the KIK messaging application.
According to an arrest affidavit, Bales told the girl that he was going to post her home address on the internet, asking for people to come rape her, set her house on fire, or hurt her, unless the girl sent him nude photos and videos of herself and/or provide him with names and addresses of other girls.
The girl told her father about the threats and her dad communicated with Bales in an attempt to identify him. The father also called PCSO and reported the threats.
During the investigation, detectives located another Polk County victim, a 12-year-old girl, who was also being threatened and extorted by “.Daddy.”
PCSO detectives positively identified the user of the KIK account as Lucas Bales in Cape Coral. PCSO detectives worked with the Cape Coral Police Department to serve a search warrant at Bales’ home during the early morning hours of Feb. 11.
During the search, detectives seized Bales’ cell phone, laptop, desktop computer, and Playstation gaming system. During a preliminary search of Bales’ electronic devices, detectives found messages where Bales was threatening and extorting the girls, and soliciting them for nude photos.
Detectives will conduct a thorough forensic analysis of all seized equipment, and more charges are pending the outcome of that analysis. During the search of his residence, detectives say they also found marijuana. Cape Coral P.D. took Bales into custody and charged him locally for drug possession, he was held on a Polk County warrant.
Bales of Cape Coral was booked into the Polk County Jail on the following charges:
1 count Extortion
1 count Criminal Use of Personal ID
1 count Aggravated Stalking of a Minor
8 counts Written Threat to Kill or Injure
10 counts Unlawful Use of Communication Device
Bond was set at $5,000 for each charge, except the Aggravated Stalking of a Minor, for which there is no bond until his First Appearance Hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
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