UPDATE:
Court documents revealed new details about the arrest of a Port Charlotte man charged with trying to solicit a child online.
Justin Bryant Fife, 38, was arrested Dec. 31 on using a computer to lure a child and sending harmful material to a child charges.
According to an arrest affidavit, investigators found Fife first made contact with the juvenile on the app “Sugar Daddy Meet” in Nov. 2023. The affidavit says the victim initially told Fife that she was 23-years-old, but later told him she was 16-years-old.
Detectives wrote the two continued communicating online for several months, until March 2024, when the victim's mother discovered the messages and reported Fife to the police.
The affidavit says that during the investigation, detectives got a search warrant for Snapchat messages between Fife and the victim, in which several sexually explicit pictures, videos and messages were found. One Snapchat file said that the pair had sent “2680 Snaps with each other.”
The affidavit states the case was initially investigated by another law enforcement agency, but “was not able to move forward with criminal charges.” The affidavit says the case was then adopted by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the affidavit, Charlotte County detectives found Fife at his home in Port Charlotte and he agreed to give a sworn interview. Investigators said Fife admitted he continued communicating with the juvenile after learning her age, and that he told investigators “he was in love with the juvenile victim and continued to communicate with her even after law enforcement was contacted.”
Fife was arrested on Dec. 31, had his first court appearance on Jan. 1, and he is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 9.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office arrested 37-year-old Justin Bryant Fife on Wednesday and charged him with trying to solicit a child on the internet.
Deputies served a search warrant at his home in Port Charlotte on Dalton Boulevard.
The sheriff's office said investigation led to charges of Use of a Computer Service to Solicit a Child and Sending Harmful Materials to a Minor.
Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
If you have information related to the case, call the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at (941) 639-2101.
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