SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police arrested a 20-year-old man who they said was discovered in the bedroom of a 13-year-old girl he met on Tinder.
Ezekiel San Miguel Knowles has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, which is a first-degree felony.
The arrest affidavit states Knowles met the 13-year-old girl over the dating app Tinder a few months ago, which progressed to an invitation by the alleged victim to come over to her house Sunday night.
According to police, the girl’s mother found her and the defendant in the bedroom on Monday. The mother then locked them in the bedroom until police arrived.
The affidavit indicates Knowles was led to believe the girl was 18 years old based on her Tinder profile. In an interview with police, the victim said she told the defendant she was 17 years old.
Tinder prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from creating an account. A company spokesman said Tinder has automated tools to detect language that might indicate a user might be underage.
Both the defendant and victim admitted to having sexual intercourse more than once into the early morning hours of Monday.
“We have got to do something to protect our children,” said Dr. Julie Strentzsch, CEO of the Crisis Center of Comal County.
Strentzsch stressed the importance of tightening the bond between parents and children, especially in this easy access age of social media. She also noted there’s a need for some form of legislation and more accountability by social media vendors to better protect youth.
“At the very minimum, parents should be involved, they should know which social media apps their children are participating in. There’s ways to add parental controls so you know who they’re talking to,” Strentzsch said.
Dottie Laster, who’s helped thousands of human trafficking victims over the years, said young developing minds are even more prone to falling prey to dangerous situations.
“In general, parents, they need to understand, it’s not that your kids’ bad, it’s that they’re being tricked, groomed and being put into this situation with the internet that is outside their life experience to be able to handle,” Laster said.
As for Knowles, his bond is set at $90,000.