FREDERIKSTED — Officials with the Virgin Islands Police Department said Wednesday night they have arrested a St. Croix man exposing himself online to an underage girl.
Brandon Teliam, 26, of Prince Street, Frederiksted, was arrested at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday and charged with obscene internet contact with a minor, visual medium depicting sexually explicit conduct, computer pornography, blackmail, sending threatening letters, distribution or exhibition to minors, according to the VIPD.
“Teliam is accused of having obscene and inappropriate contact with a minor on the Internet,” VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.
He was taken into official custody by police after an arrest warrant was issued in his name by the Superior Court.
Bail for Teliam was set at $25,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Virgin islands Bureau of Corrections (BOC) pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
Meanwhile, the reaction to this news article was immediate on social media.
“Hard lesson learned, mothers please teach your sons from an early age that these acts are against the law, engaging with a minor in any form is a crime, the Internet has agents working social media they will get you,” Jahmela Heddi Heard Jacobson said on Facebook. “Teach your daughters as well not to interact with pedophiles on social media or in person, if they come into contact with a pedophile may it be a stranger or a known pedophile say something.”
Police released the news of Teliam’s arrest to Twitter at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this news article are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.