Three men have been arrested on suspicion of sexual crimes involving a 17-year-old boy after investigators allegedly obtained digital evidence from the victim's cellphone, according to Sausalito police.
The teenager's parents reportedly contacted police after man unknown to them had mailed the victim a teddy bear as a birthday present, police said Thursday.
Investigators say that led them to Douglas Stevens of Jacksonville, Florida. Stevens and the victim, who was 16 at the time, had allegedly exchanged videos of themselves masturbating and discussed meeting in Sausalito at a future date, according to police.
Information from the victim's cellphone was also used to identify two California residents, Kenneth Pierce of Sacramento and Jason Carbone of San Diego, as additional suspects, police said.
Investigators say that explicit photos and videos had allegedly been exchanged between Carbone and the victim, police said.
Pierce and the victim also allegedly took photos and videos of themselves engaging in sex acts somewhere in Marin County, according to police.
Pierce is a registered sex offender in Sacramento, police said. The teen allegedly met the suspects on the social networking applications Kik and Instagram, police said.
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All three suspects were arrested on suspicion of crimes related to lewd or sexual acts with a child and for possession of child pornography, according to police.
Pierce was arrested at his home in Sacramento on June 27 and is currently in custody at the Marin County Jail, police said. Carbone was arrested in San Diego on June 27 and was subsequently
released on bail, they added.
Stevens was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Marin County, according to police.
