A Chattanooga man has been arrested in Florida on charges that he sent a lewd photo to an underage female. Ismael Mercius was charged with solicitation of a minor to observe sexual contact.
Police said he met the girl in August of last year on the website ooVoo.com, a webcam networking site. He sent her a photo of his private part.
The sheriff's office said, "Detective Brian Ashburn of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received an investigation concerning a minor victim receiving adult pornography from an unknown suspect. The investigation into the incident revealed the suspect, Ismael Mercius, was the person who sent the pornographic image. The suspect was interviewed by Detective Ashburn and made a statement of his involvement regarding this incident.
"An arrest warrant was issued for Mericus, 25 through Hamilton County General Sessions Court, but detectives later found he had absconded to Florida.
"Mercius was arrested in Broward County, Fla., and extradited back to Hamilton County. He was arrested and booked on Wednesday, on the active warrant for solicitation of a minor to observe sexual conduct. Mercius has made a $2,500 bond and faces a future court appearance."