PALMETTO, Fla. — A 24-year-old Polk County firefighter was arrested after being accused of extorting a 14-year-old into sending naked videos of herself through Snapchat.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office says Richard Dalton Battle, of Palmetto, found the girl on Instagram and then added her on Snapchat in 2019.
Investigators say she told him how old she was, but he did not tell her his age.
"The conversations between Battle and the victim turned sexual in nature, and Battle began threatening to tell the victim’s mother that she was on Snapchat unless the victim sent him nude videos," the sheriff's office wrote in an email.
Detectives say Battle told the girl he knew her location, causing her to fear he would show up at her home. As a result, investigators say she sent him two nude videos.
"Battle then continued to send her Snapchat messages, which the victim ignored. He repeatedly asked her to send more videos, which she ignored until late March 2022 when she decided she 'couldn’t take it anymore,'" the sheriff's office explained.
According to investigators, the teen was able to track down Battle's identity through social media and reported the situation to an adult, who alerted law enforcement.
"The victim told detectives that she felt pressured into sending the videos, and that it was disgusting and 'the worst thing ever,'" the sheriff's office said.
In an interview Thursday, detectives say Battle told them he thought the girl was 18 and had met her on Tinder.
"He denied the threats and denied soliciting her to send videos, but did admit she sent videos to him," authorities wrote of the conversation. "He denied being on Snapchat at all."
Battle was booked into the Polk County Jail. He was charged with soliciting a person under 16 to commit a lewd act, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and extortion. Due to the solicitation charge, he is being held without bond.
“This is a clear cut case of why parents need to be all up in their children’s business when they are online and using mobile apps," Sheriff Grady Judd wrote in a statement. "We are happy the victim turned this suspect in and we hope she is able to recover from the abuse she suffered at the hands of this deviant suspect."
Judd urged parents to add parental controls to their children's mobile devices, calling parents and guardians the "first line of defense" in keeping kids safe.
According to a Polk County spokesperson, Battle is also being suspended with pay and has been served with a notice of investigation.