SAN DIEGO – A Kentucky man who allegedly came to San Diego to have sex with a 14-year-old boy was arrested Sunday in Arizona.
Carlie Joe Bentley, 49, met the boy, a San Diego resident, through an online dating app, according to the FBI. Bentley came to San Diego and checked into a motel with the boy on Dec. 30, and he stayed there with the boy for two days, investigators said. The two then reportedly left in a car with Kentucky plates.
According to investigators, the boy showed other people photographs of himself with Bentley and told them that he had engaged in sex with the older man. He said there were videos of the sexual activity. The boy also left a note with his family saying that he was running away from home. That’s when family members called the police.
Authorities tracked Bentley to Arizona. On Sunday, Bentley’s car was spotted on Interstate 17 in Arizona. State troopers pulled over the Kentucky rental car and arrested Bentley. The San Diego teenager was a passenger in the car. He was taken into protective custody and has been returned to his family.
Bentley was being held without bail in Arizona. The San Diego Police Department and the FBI are handling the investigation.