Fort Pierce man arrested for kidnapping teen he met through virtual reality
Roosevelt City, Utah (treasurecoast.com)-A Fort Pierce man was arrested for kidnapping a teen he met through virtual reality.
In what could be the first case of its kind, a man from Fort Pierce has been arrested for kidnapping a teenager he allegedly met through the virtual reality device Oculus.
Police in Roosevelt City, Utah announced the arrest of Christopher Evans, 25, of Fort Pierce, this week.
This is what they said:
A juvenile female reported missing in Roosevelt, Utah is safe after being located by members of the Cheyenne Police Department (CPD). She was discovered in the back of a white bobtail semi-truck Thursday, March 10.
Tuesday morning, the Roosevelt City Police Department issued a statement that the juvenile was reported missing. An investigation involving local, state, and federal authorities determined that Chris Evans, 25, of Florida communicated with the juvenile online using Oculus, a Meta program, for approximately one month. Evans then apparently made contact with the juvenile in Utah and transported her to a truck stop located at 3305 West College Drive in Cheyenne.
Partnering agencies obtained suspect information and determined the approximate location of Evans by using cellphone data and communication applications. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) then alerted the CPD. At approximately 2:45 p.m., Cheyenne Police Officers were dispatched to the area of West College Drive and located a semi-truck matching the suspect vehicle description.
Officers established a perimeter around the truck and knocked on the door. A male matching the suspect’s description exited and shared that the missing juvenile was also in the truck. Evans was arrested on scene without incident and transported to the Laramie County Jail. He remains in custody on a warrant for kidnapping, issued by the RCPD last night.
The juvenile is in good health and will soon be reunited with her family. Cheyenne Police were able to locate her within one hour of Evans being identified as a suspect.
The case remains under investigation by the FBI.
