MacDill AFB captain arrested in Brevard County during underage-sex sting
By Zack Peterson, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, May 28, 2015 5:30pm
Capt. Christopher Everding
TAMPA — A MacDill Air Force Base captain was arrested last week after authorities said he drove to Brevard County to have sex with an underage girl who turned out to be a Department of Homeland Security agent in disguise online.
Capt. Christopher Everding communicated with the agent for a week before he drove south, stopping to buy condoms along the way, according to a federal criminal complaint filed May 23. The agent posted an ad on a website in which he pretended to be the 13-year-old girl's father.
According to the complaint, Everding sent the agent a photograph of himself and asked for one of the girl in return. To conceal his identity, the agent sent back a photo of a Brevard County Sheriff's Office employee.
When Everding arrived at their meeting place on Friday, he admitted to explicit sexual comments he made during his correspondence with the agent, the complaint said. It said he also admitted to having online discussions about bestiality with a different teenager in 2012. He was arrested Friday at the meeting place.
MacDill officials released a statement saying they were aware of the allegations against Everding and were taking them seriously. They referred further questions to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Everding is being held in a federal facility in Seminole County, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"He is charged with an attempt to entice a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct," spokesperson Amy Filjone wrote in an email. "He is facing 10 years to life in prison."
Contact Zack Peterson at zpeterson@tampabay.com. Follow @zackpeterson918.
MacDill AFB captain arrested in Brevard County during underage-sex sting 05/28/15 [Last modified: Thursday, May 28, 2015 9:13pm]
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