POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A convicted felon was busted for sexually abusing a teenage girl after nude photos were found on the victim’s cellphone, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the girl’s mother went through her 15-year-old daughter’s phone Monday and found inappropriate messages between the girl and 28-year-old Daniel Fehringer that included nude pictures of Fehringer and texts that alluded to past sexual activity.
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In one message, he said the victim’s body was “carved for mine,” records show.
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The girl and her mother got into a fight about the messages and the teen left her home. Law enforcement officers located her in Lakeland and questioned her about the content of the messages, according to the report.
Deputies said the victim and Fehringer, who is a friend of the girl’s mother, had been texting in a sexual manner and had engaged in sexual activity in a wooded area while they were walking through her neighborhood.
Fehringer said he knew the victim was 15 but messaged her regardless, according to the affidavit. He said he and the girl were “just friends” and that he never sent her any naked photos or engaged in any sex acts with her, records show.
The same inappropriate photos the girl had were also found in Fehringer’s deleted photos album on one of his electronic devices, deputies said.
At that point, Fehringer was placed under arrest but deputies said he tried to run away.
“Parents and guardians are the first line of defense when it comes to keeping children safe from sexual predators like this guy. I’m proud of this mother for taking a closer look at her daughter’s cell phone and social media accounts and preventing this horrible act from becoming any worse than it already was. Parents, put parental controls on your child’s devices and check them regularly. This is the only way you can ensure they are safe online,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Fehringer is facing charges of lewd battery on a minor, two counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.
His criminal history includes 12 felonies and 17 misdemeanors on charges such as domestic violence battery, drug possession, trespassing, criminal mischief and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
He’s been to prison twice. His most recent conviction was on two counts of battery and battery on a law enforcement officer and he was released in September 2020.