Mom Holds Man At Gunpoint In Daughter's Bedroom

Ohio man arrested on sex charges
Authorities: Mother of teenager found suspect in daughter's room

By Jason Morton Staff writer Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 1, 2010 at 11:11 p.m.
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TUSCALOOSA | Sheriff's deputies have charged an Ohio man with a series of sex-related crimes after he was found in the bedroom of a Tuscaloosa teen.

Matthew Brandon Rogers, 28, faces charges of soliciting a child by computer, second-degree sexual abuse, enticing a child and possession of child pornography. He was being held Monday in the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $66,000 bail.

Sheriff Ted Sexton is using Rogers' arrest as a reminder for parents to keep an eye on their children's Internet use.

“When we talk about cybercrime, people want to talk about identity theft,” Sexton said. “But one of our mainstays are crimes against children, because there are sexual predators on the Internet.

“We are urging parents to please have conversations with their children.”

Sexton said Rogers was apprehended Sunday when the mother of a 14-year-old Duncanville girl found him in her daughter's bedroom.

The mother held Rogers at gunpoint while she notified authorities. Deputies took him into custody when they arrived at the home.

The sheriff said Rogers befriended the girl on an Internet chat room and late last week left his home in the Cincinnati metro area and drove to Louisville, Ky.

In Louisville, Rogers left his vehicle at an airport and rented a car, which he drove to Tuscaloosa, Sexton said.

On Sunday, the girl's father heard noises coming from the upstairs area and went to investigate. Finding nothing, he left for work.

Later that day, the teen's mother came home and also heard noises, which led her to discover Rogers in the home.

The teenager was not physically injured, the sheriff said.

“This type of incident means we go way beyond Tuscaloosa County,” Sexton said. “This brings in every sexual offender and predator in the country, and even in Canada. This is why it's so important that parents talk to their kids.”

Sexton said that sheriff's deputies, his office's sexual abuse investigator, the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, the Tuscaloosa County Office of the District Attorney and the FBI are involved in the investigation.

The sheriff declined to say whether authorities believe there are more victims, either in Alabama or elsewhere.

“We're so used to guarding our children at the mall and at the fair ... but for one reason or another, parents tend to drop their guard as their children get older and have more access and savvy on the Internet ...,” Sexton said. “It's not just girls, it's boys, too ..., and it's led to young ladies coming up missing. That's why it's such an important issue.”

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http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100302/NEWS/100309961/1007?p=1&tc=pg&tc=ar

O gross - this guy just creeps me out looking at him!!!

Good for that mom, but she should have just blown him away - do we know how long he was in the house?? At least part of the day Sunday? I just can't believe that... I watch the Dateline show when they do the "How to catch a predator" series - it's UNBELIEVABLE what these criminals do!!!

He was probably there Sunday morning when the father heard the noises, which means there's a good chance he had been there since sometime Saturday night or very early Sunday morning. It's hard to tell what time the mom caught him, but I'm guessing 10 am or later since she had already left the house and didn't find him until she came back. It wouldn't surprise me if he had been in the house with the 14-year-old for at least 12 hours.

I hope they keep him behind bars as long as possible without parole or any other type of early release.

And on and on it goes...the internet is a sex predator's dream - all the innocents looking for love in all the wrong places....

j4a - i was thinking the same thing - he had been staying there for at the very least, a few hrs if not overnight... i can't believe that girl wasn't hurt - maybe the opportunity never presented itself, but it just goes to show how important it is to address these issues with our kids, we can't be too careful - we have to stand guard because we're their only defense!!

I guess he thought he was going to outsmart authorities by driving to the Louisville KY airport, leaving his car and then renting one to drive to Alabama. He was on a mission.
Since he was also charged with second degree sexual abuse, he obviously abused her in some way. The more frightening scenario could have happened very easily, he could have taken her from the house. I'm sure once they've investigated his computer activity they will know if there are more victims. I certainly hope not.

I wish she had pulled the trigger! Way to go Mom! I bet she wanted to.

I understand everybody's feelings, but I also understand why she didn't pull the trigger. The law probably wouldn't look at it like she did society a favor. They would most likely lock her up for many years if not for the rest of her life, and she would miss out on her daughter's graduation, and possibly her wedding day and any future grandchildren.

Justice4all wrote:I understand everybody's feelings, but I also understand why she didn't pull the trigger. The law probably wouldn't look at it like she did society a favor. They would most likely lock her up for many years if not for the rest of her life, and she would miss out on her daughter's graduation, and possibly her wedding day and any future grandchildren.

This is true. Isn't it sad that is exactly what would have happened? Too bad he didn't try to run, then she could have shot him in the arse at least. I bet it would have made her feel so much better.

Justice4all wrote:I understand everybody's feelings, but I also understand why she didn't pull the trigger. The law probably wouldn't look at it like she did society a favor. They would most likely lock her up for many years if not for the rest of her life, and she would miss out on her daughter's graduation, and possibly her wedding day and any future grandchildren.

I don't know if she would have been charged with murder or not.... the man was in her daughter's bedroom. I think there's some kind of law about protecting your domicile (and your DAUGHTER!). At least there is in the State of Florida.