A Peoria tattoo artist, Mario E. Davis, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with grooming following allegations that he sent sexually explicit messages to a 16-year-old via Snapchat.
The charges stem from an investigation launched on February 12 after a minor reported receiving explicit messages from Davis. According to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, the minor stated that Davis sent them a friend request on Snapchat, which they accepted. Shortly after, Davis allegedly began sending sexually explicit messages to the minor and continued despite being informed of their age.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Davis’ phone and Snapchat account, which confirmed that the account used to contact the minor was registered to him. GPS data from Snapchat also placed the conversation near Davis’ residence, further corroborating the allegations. The explicit messages were found within the app’s data on Davis’ phone.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office has yet to release additional details, but Davis is facing serious charges as the investigation continues.
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