A Ventura County coach was arrested for allegedly trying to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex.
The suspect, Gary Larson, 67, of Camarillo, was arrested following an investigation in February, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced on May 19.
A records check revealed Larson was involved in coaching youth soccer and giving private tennis lessons, investigators said.
On Feb. 8, Thousand Oaks deputies responded to a Target store at 2705 Teller Road in Newbury Park for a possible child crime investigation. Deputies were alerted to the suspect by an organization called Predator Poachers, whose undercover members had been pretending to be a 13-year-old while speaking with Larson.
Predator Poachers is a third-party organization that conducts sting operations across the U.S. on adults who seek sexual activities with minors, VCSO explained.
Larson was located at the store and detained for questioning, where he admitted to speaking with underage girls, authorities said.
In at least one conversation, he allegedly described sexually explicit acts he was seeking to engage in with the young girl. He also admitted to sending explicit photographs to one of the girls he was communicating with.
Investigators later found that he possessed child sexual abuse material (CSAM), was active in multiple group chats on messaging applications, and had traded various CSAM videos and images, the sheriff’s office said.
He was arrested for communicating with a minor to commit a sexual offense, arranging a meeting with a minor for the purpose of lewd or lascivious acts, possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.
Days later on Feb. 11, Larson posted bail for $100,000.
In late February, a 12-year-old girl and her mother reported a possible child crime to the Thousand Oaks Police Department.
The girl and her mother said Larson had advertised “tennis lessons for juveniles” on Craigslist and the child had been receiving tennis lessons from Larson for over a year.
“Based on the report, it appears Larson was ‘grooming’ the juvenile,” authorities said. “Grooming, in reference to child abuse, is defined as a manipulative process where an individual builds trust and an emotional connection with a juvenile to exploit and/or abuse them.”
Authorities believe there may be more victims of Larson who have yet to come forward. No further details were released as the case remains under investigation.
Anyone who may have been a victim or has additional information is urged to call Detective Nicole Adrianzen at 805-494-8229 or email [email protected]. Callers can remain anonymous.
“The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Sexual Assault Unit is committed to the safety of our community’s youth,” the sheriff’s office said. “The access afforded to young people online can be overwhelming and is opportunistic to sexual predators. We encourage all parents to talk to their children about the risks associated with internet predators and to report any matters to law enforcement they feel are inappropriate or criminal in nature.”
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