CHARLOTTE- A man was arrested in Charlotte County on Saturday after meeting up with a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Deputies received a tip from an Uber driver who was concerned about the juvenile passenger he dropped off at Microtel Inn and Suites in Port Charlotte.
The driver said the passenger got into a white Cadillac with a single black male.
Units were dispatched to the scene and found 35-year-old Kenneth Devon Fordham and the minor as they exited the vehicle.
The two were separated for questioning.
Fordham refused to speak and was placed under arrest.
The juvenile was transported to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and said she met Fordham on Facebook in January and that he was aware of her age.
She also said that he had coordinated meeting her at motels on at least two other occasions.
They allegedly smoked marijuana and engaged in sexual activity.
Messages found on the victim’s cellphone supported the claims.
Fordham is charged with two counts each of:
– Lewd and lascivious battery of a victim 12 to 16 years old
– Using a computer to seduce/lure a child
– Traveling to meet a minor after using computer to lure child
He is being held at the Charlotte County jail with a total bond amount of $1.7 million.
