JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Duval County Public Schools maintenance worker was arrested after he was ensnared by undercover officers April 26, a new report shows.
Documents also show that the maintenance worker, Kevin Bryan Pearce, 57, was one of six people arrested by undercover Jacksonville sheriff's officers within the span of two days using the same tactics. The undercover officers initiated conversations on a website called Skip the Games, posing as underage children. Then, when the suspects allegedly agreed, they arrested them at the meeting place.
In the case of Pearce, the officer first made contact on Skip the Games. The conversation then moved to text messaging, where the officer told Pearce she was a 13-year-old girl. When Pearce agreed to meet the 'girl,' police were at the arranged meeting spot and took him into custody.
He is charged with travel to meet after using a computer to lure a child, soliciting a child via computer using sexual conduct, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Thomas Gainey, age 22, was arrested using the same strategy -- except the officer claimed to be 14, not 13 -- on April 28. He received the same charges.
Michael Hill, 44, was arrested on the same charges April 28 as well. Hill's arrest involved a group chat, and though the reason is redacted, he was additionally charged with coercing commercial sexual activity of an adult for human trafficking.
Norman Kimmerley Jr., 62, was arrested on April 27 by an officer who identified herself as a 14-year-old girl and received the same charges as Pearce and Gainey, as well as transmission of material harmful to minors.
Patrick Hazel, 30, was arrested for the same crimes as Pearce, Gainey and Kimmerley by an officer who had identified herself as a 14-year-old girl on April 28.