TOMS RIVER – A Louisiana man has been arrested and criminally charged after having sexual contact with a 14-year-old he met online, officials said.
Spencer Caudle, 34, of Prairieville, Louisiana, was charged with Sexual Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, Luring and Enticing of a Child, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
On May 27, Caudle traveled from Louisiana to the Toms River area and had sexual contact with a 14-year-old victim.
According to authorities, Caudle was talking to the victim through a messaging app called Whisper. Police discovered that Caudle planned on returning to the area to have sexual contact with the victim again.
On June 16, Caudle flew from New Orleans, Louisiana to Newark Liberty International Airport, where he was taken into custody and was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Freehold Township Police Department, United States Department of Homeland Security, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, and United States Air Marshals Service, for their combined and collective efforts in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced are merely accusations and the public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
