MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man was arrested after being accused of raping a teen he met on Facebook.
Anthony Lamar Denson, 22, was arrested on Thursday and charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, solicitation of minor- promoting prostitution, promoting prostitution and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
The 16-year-old victim claimed Denson sent her a private Facebook message, telling her he would pay her $200 for sex back in May. She gave the man her address, but told police she became scared while riding around in his vehicle and tried to run away in the area of Farrow and Yazoo.
That’s when she claimed he pulled out a gun, forced her into the back of the car and raped her. He then allegedly dropped her off at a friend’s house, all the while threatening to harm her if she told anyone about what happened.
A warrant was issued the next day for Denson’s arrest.
WREG visited his listed Hickory Hill address Friday, but no one answered.
Sandy Bromley is the executive director at the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center.
” The first thing I think most of us think about is, ‘What was that girl doing?’ Or ‘What was this person thinking?’ We say that about all victims of crime, often,” Bromley said. “We really should be saying what is the offender thinking going on Facebook asking to pay a child for sex.”
Bromley says while parents can’t control everything their children do, little risk reduction techniques can help.
All resources at the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center are free, and you don’t have to report to law enforcement to get help.
