In a case that can only be described as every parent’s worst nightmare, a suspected sexual predator was arrested after meeting a teen girl in an online VRchat then hiding in her bedroom closet for over a month.
Jonathan Rossmoine Hides In Teen Girl’s Closet
According to Newsweek, 36-year-old Jonathan Rossmoine is accused of traveling from his residence in Louisiana to the 15 year-old’s home in Florida for sex after the two met in a virtual reality social platform called VRChat.
VRchat allows users to create 3D avatars and interact with others online.
https://twitter.com/Chaoticsaur/status/1287518322318168065?s=20
Detective Tom Cameron, of Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, said that once Rossmoine arrived in Florida, he and his teen victim hatched a disturbing plan to hide him from her parents.
“He and the young lady came up with the idea that he could just stay in her room if he hid in the closet whenever the parents came in,” Cameron said. “They kept the bedroom door closed and locked and whenever someone came to the door it gave them an opportunity to run and hide in the closet and open up the door to where maybe she was changing or something.”
Online Sexual Predator Arrested After Hiding In Teen Girl’s Closet
Rossmoine was finally arrested this past Sunday after the 15 year-old girl’s parents heard noises coming from her bedroom.
After his arrest, the 36-year-old was hit with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. Jonathan Rossmoine is currently being held in the Hernando County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
More on this disturbing case of a man hiding in a teen girl’s closet in the video below:
Of course, this isn’t the first story of an online sexual predator targeting a young girl.
In this day and age, it’s more important than ever that parents are vigilant with their children. From toys to television, children can be exposed to sexual themes from every direction.
Related: Parents Outraged After Mom Discovers Cold Water Reveals Sexy Lingerie On Popular Doll
Parents Beware Increased Risk Of Online Predators
Child psychologist Dr. Wendy Rice said Rossmoine’s case should serve as a reminder to parents everywhere to keep tabs on what their children are doing online.
She also suggested that parents ban electronic devices from their kids’ bedrooms, just to make sure they are safe.
“Kids can be doing things under our noses and in your house that you might not be aware of that could shock you,” Rice said. “Get the electronics out of the bedroom. That is key. None of us really need to be sleeping with our phones next to our beds and least of all teens.”
She’s right – kids can even be abused right under their parents noses.
“Instead of using the words naked, or on camera, or nude, a predator could send a child just the letters ‘GONC’ which stands for get naked on camera,” said Chief Parenting Officer with BARK Technologies, Titania Jordan. “A parent might look at that and say ‘what is that’, but the child knows and the predator knows.”
With children spending more time online, some experts are calling this “open season for online predators“.
Authorities: Virtual learning poses online sexual predator risk: So the Northwest Louisiana Human Trafficking Task Force has launched a campaign to warn parents, called Project R.I.S.K. The acronym stands for … https://t.co/IEMrUspd7h #slavery #trafficking
— Monicatwit (@MonicavanDelden) September 22, 2020
We can only imagine how horrifying it was for these parents to learn that a sexual predator was living in their young daughter’s closet for over a month.
It’s up to us as parents to protect our children and our homes. That means monitoring our children’s use and exposure on social media and beyond.
Together, we can save the children.
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