Florida man accused of sexually battering Polk County teen he met online told her 'I ain’t worried’: PCSO
POLK COUNTY, Fla. - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says a West Palm Beach man accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl he met online picked the wrong county to sexually batter a child.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 22-year-old Emerick Priddy met the victim on Snapchat and convinced her to sneak out of her home in the middle of the night to meet him.
Deputies say Priddy drove to the girl’s home from West Palm Beach, where she climbed out of a bedroom window and got in his car.
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Priddy, according to investigators, then drove her to a park, where they got into the backseat and engaged in sex.

Emerick Priddy mugshot courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
He told the victim when he met her online that he was 17 years old, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
When she told him that she was 14 years old, deputies say he replied, "its prolly a one time thing" and "I aint worried."
When deputies spotted Priddy’s Honda Civic in a parking lot just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, January 11, 2025, they said Priddy was in the backseat with the victim, and both were in various stages of undress.
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Priddy was arrested and charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex, lewd battery, transmission of material harmful to a minor, interference in child custody, use of a two-way communication device in a felony.
"Emerick Priddy picked the wrong county to come to and sexually batter a child," Judd explained. "He's now facing five felonies and hopefully will be registered as a sexual offender for the rest of his life."
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
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