An Illinois man who once appeared on an MTV reality show has been arrested after more than a year on the lam for allegedly trying to solicit sex from a police officer posing as an underage girl, Fox 32 reports.
On Thursday, 33-year-old Connor Smith was taken into custody in Clearwater, Florida, on felony charges of traveling to meet a minor, grooming, and disseminating harmful material.
Smith, who starred in the MTV show “Are You The One?” in 2015, had eluded authorities since February 9, 2023.
That’s when police allege he had arranged to meet someone he knew was a minor for sex after weeks of communication online. The person he was talking with was an undercover detective posing as a girl under 15 years of age, CBS News reports.
“Connor Smith kept engaging this girl in communication, in conversation, eventually sending lewd photos of himself to who he thought was this girl, really an undercover detective, and then worked out a plan to meet who he thought was this girl to engage in a sexual relationship,” Lake County Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said, according to Fox 32.
When officers approached Smith’s vehicle in the parking lot of a shopping mall, where he had allegedly planned to meet the girl, Smith drove over a curb and sped away. Officers chased after him but eventually stopped pursuit because of how fast and dangerous Smith was driving.
Investigators said Smith is believed to have family in Florida and was taking steps to evade arrest.
Smith was being held in the Pinellas County Jail and is expected to be extradited back to Illinois.
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[Feature Photo: Connor Smith/Lake County Sheriffs Department]
