POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A 28-year-old Polk City man was arrested Tuesday, July 21, 2026, after law enforcement officials determined he traveled to Pennsylvania to pick up a 16-year-old girl he met online and brought her back to his Polk County residence.
Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) took Jordan Becker into custody following a missing person report filed by the victim’s brother earlier that day. According to an arrest affidavit, the brother alerted authorities that he believed the teenager was with Becker in Florida after initially meeting him through online video gaming.
The affidavit states Becker met the victim through her brother’s online gaming connections and had been in contact with her before driving to Pennsylvania sometime in June to pick her up. Becker told investigators he considered the teenager his girlfriend.
When PCSO deputies located Becker and the victim at his Polk City home on July 21, Becker acknowledged he knew the girl was underage. He admitted to law enforcement officers that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with her at least three times.
The victim told deputies she did not inform her mother about leaving home out of fear that her mother would be upset. Her family had believed she was staying with a friend in Pennsylvania.
“He drove all the way to Pennsylvania and brought her back to Polk County,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “This is an extremely frightening situation that easily could have ended much worse. It is a stark reminder of why parents must closely monitor their children’s online activity. The victim’s brother did exactly the right thing by calling us.”
Becker was booked into the Polk County Jail on multiple charges, including three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, traveling to meet a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a child, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and interference with parental custody.
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