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ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Authorities have charged a man from Rogersville with transporting a minor for illicit purposes after he was discovered in Florida with a missing teenager from Ohio, as per the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ revealed in a news release that 42-year-old Stephen Negron was located alongside the minor in Florida on March 13. The teenager had been previously reported as missing, leading to Negron’s charge of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual conduct.
If found guilty, Negron faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with the possibility of a life sentence, according to DOJ guidelines.
Court filings indicate that the teenager’s phone was deactivated on February 13, with the last recorded location being an intersection close to their residence. Surveillance footage from the vicinity allegedly captured a pickup truck bearing Tennessee plates, which were registered to Negron, in the area during that period.
The DOJ further explained that investigators used license plate recognition technology to trace the vehicle’s journey, tracking it as it moved from Kentucky into Tennessee.
A search warrant was executed at his home on March 12, and investigators reportedly found evidence of a new cell phone number. Using GPS pings, agents were led to a hotel in Palatka, Florida.
Negron allegedly drove to Florida in a work truck with a Virginia license plate. He was taken into custody when authorities found him on March 13 with the victim.
Negron was also found to have an ongoing protective order out of Texas in relation to an 18-year-old female. The DOJ stated that the Texas woman had met him online in 2023 when she was 16.
Negron allegedly traveled to meet up with the Texas girl and brought her back to Tennessee.
“He allegedly drugged her, sexually assaulted her and threatened violence to her and her family,” the release said of the Texas girl incident in 2023.
Negron faces charges out of the Southern District of Ohio and the Eastern District of Tennessee, which are in relation to the Texas victim. The DOJ stated he will be transferred to Ohio to face his charges there.