Sheriff: Internet sexual predator sentenced to 20 years | Crime

A North Carolina man accused of traveling to Kershaw County to have sexual relations with a teen girl was sentenced to 20 years in prison following a guilty plea agreement, according to the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office.

The report said on March 22, 2012, 38-year-old Isaac Claude Flynn of Gastonia, NC was arrested by deputies after he traveled to Kershaw County to meet with and have sexual relations with what he thought was a 14-year-old female.

Investigators were alerted of Flynn’s illegal activities after the mother of a 15-year-old girl reported that Flynn travelled to Kershaw County and had sexual relations with the girl, the report stated.

 Investigators say Flynn met the young girl on Facebook.

As the investigation progressed, a Kershaw County investigator, a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) network, began “chatting” with Flynn, portraying himself to be a 14-year-old girl.

During the interaction between Flynn and the undercover investigator, Flynn sent sexually explicit photos to the investigator and eventually travelled from NC to Kershaw County where he anticipated meeting the juvenile, the report stated.

KCSO deputies were waiting on Flynn when he arrived and took him into custody without incident.

Flynn was eventually charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor (2nd degree), attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor (2nd degree), criminal solicitation of a minor and dissemination of obscene material to a person under 18. Flynn pled guilty on all four charges.

He was sentenced on all four counts, the sentences to run concurrent for a total of 20 years incarceration.

In addition to the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, the SC Attorney General’s Office, SLED, the NC State Bureau of Investigations and the Gastonia, NC Police Department all provided valuable assistance in this investigation.

“It is important that we send a strong message to sexual predators who prey on children that not only will we aggressively pursue them, our judicial system will deal with them severely,” said Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews. “Parents need to monitor their children’s internet activities and be forthcoming to law enforcement should they suspect foul play by a sexual predator posing as another child.”