Cops: Lindenhurst man had 'explicit' chats with 10-year-old girls
Police arrested and charged a Lindenhurst man Wednesday after he allegedly had “sexually explicit conversations” with 10-year-old girls from Texas. Credit: Barry Sloan
Suffolk County police arrested and charged a Lindenhurst man Wednesday after he allegedly posed on Instagram as a female dance instructor and engaged in “sexually explicit conversations” with two 10-year-old girls from Texas.
Taner Ocal, 22, was taken into custody about 1 p.m. at his home, police said in a news release. He faces two felony charges related to the allegations, according to the release.
The two children told Fort Worth, Texas, police that Ocal had contacted them in May and this month, the release said.
After the Suffolk police were notified, detectives with the department's Digital Forensics Unit determined that Ocal “had child pornography on his cellphone as well as text messages with several underage girls,” the release said. “Ocal communicated with the girls online via the Instagram handle baddiedancehouse by posing as a female dance instructor and offering the girls help with their dancing abilities in exchange for inappropriate videos.”
Ocal faces charges of possessing a sexual performance of a child, a class E felony, and promoting a sexual performance of a child, a class D felony, according to the news release.
He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Central Islip, according to court records. Bail was set at $25,000 cash, $50,000 insured bond, or $100,000 partially secured surety bond.
A message for Ocal's lawyer was not immediately returned Thursday evening.
The release said detectives are looking for other potential victims and also want to know “if Ocal was speaking to underage girls in other areas besides Texas.”
Police are asking for anyone who believes they may be a victim of Ocal, or anyone with additional information to call the Digital Forensics Unit at 631-852-6279.
With Robert Brodsky
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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