A 20-year-old man apprehended in Orange County after allegedly agreeing to meet what he believed was a 12-year-old boy is also facing similar charges in Arizona, according to court records.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, an undercover detective posed as a 12-year-old on Snapchat on Friday. Investigators said Jase Cogdell, 20, contacted the investigator and exchanged photos with him using what officials described as an “age-regressed” image to appear younger.
Deputies say Cogdell sent sexually explicit messages before agreeing to drive from Clearwater to a retail area off South Kirkman Road on Sunday morning, where he was apprehended.
During Cogdell’s first appearance, the judge ordered him not to use a computer, access the internet, or social media, and to avoid contact with minors.
According to court records in Maricopa County, Arizona, Cogdell was previously arrested for 10 charges of sexual exploitation of a minor in 2023. According to records, he pled not guilty in that case and is set for trial in February. In September, he sought authorization to travel between Arizona and Florida.
According to Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety, such examples illustrate persistent vulnerabilities on social media platforms, particularly Snapchat.
“Parents really need to be aware that those harms are happening across the Snapchat platform,” Berkman said. He questioned how someone awaiting trial on sexual exploitation charges could still communicate with minors online, calling it a “very serious concern.”
Berkman said AI and deepfake technology are making it even easier for predators to deceive and lure minors. “The ability to take someone’s image and create a very realistic video, now with audio as well, is a very serious safety concern,” he said.
Cogdell is still in the Orange County Jail on a $25,000 bond. His lawyer in the Arizona case did not reply to a request for comment.