CLAY COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — A social media influencer has found himself in trouble with the law and facing serious charges after he posted a video online claiming to catch a sexual predator in northern Florida, authorities said.
Investigators said the clip in question, which shows Jay Carnicom approaching a man at a Walmart in Clay County back in January, led to the arrest of the 32-year-old influencer last week.
“Excuse me, everybody. This guy’s here to try to have sex with a little boy,” the suspect is heard saying in the video.
Details of the arrest warrant show Carnicom posed as a child to lure the man to the store.
“Do you think you’ll ever try to meet a child again?” Carnicom asked the man in the video.
“No,” replied the man.
According to Carnicom, the man believed he was meeting a child for sex.
The clip, which is over 20 minutes long, shows the shopper apparently being slapped in the face by the suspect — twice..
Now Carnicom faces battery and extortion charges.
Deputies said this is hardly the first time Carnicom has lured another man. They said another video from January shows the suspect forcing a man to eat cigarette remains and threatening to expose the conversations.
In February, the heavily redacted arrest warrant states, Carnicom lured another man who believed he would be meeting a child for sex.
Across Instagram and Facebook, Carnicom has gained over a million followers as part of his vigilante group, Dads Against Predators.
His Facebook bio makes it clear the suspect’s videos accumulate millions of views where he poses as a minor to lure men looking for sex with minors.
But for Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Carnicom’s so-called “stings” are coming to an end, at least for now.
Regarding the men involved, the sheriff’s office said that because of Carnicom’s actions and methods, they won’t face any charges.
“Oh, they didn’t get the predator?” said a Walmart shopper.
“That guy needs to be arrested. Both of them need to be arrested immediately, or they need to do something about it, or it’s just going to keep getting worse,” said another Walmart shopper.
The sheriff’s office urges people to report suspicious activity directly to law enforcement rather than attempting to intervene.
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