Jonathan Raymond Burton Ventura County booking photo
Ventura – Today’s online social media tools make it easier than ever before in history to make new friends and establish relationships with those whom we would otherwise never have the opportunity to meet. But as wonderful as these tools are—current data shows that nearly 50% of today’s marriages begin with an online relationship—in the wrong hands they can facilitate criminal activity.
That appears to be the case involving 24-year-old Jonathan Raymond Burton, a resident of Ventura who was arrested on Tuesday, November 24th pursuant to the November 18th report made by a 14-year-old female to the Ventura Police Department indicating that she had engaged in a sexual relationship with him. According to the Ventura Police Department Watch Commander, upon interviewing the girl, investigators determined that Burton had “used a social networking website to contact her and lure her into a sexual relationship.”
The victim reported to police that Burton had sent “lewd photos” to her and had solicited lewd photos from her in return. On the day of his arrest, detectives served a search warrant upon Burton’s residence and “located further information that indicated there may be other alleged victims,” whereupon he was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked on charges of unlawful sex with a minor, oral copulation with a minor, contacting a minor for sex, luring a minor for lewd conduct, sending harmful matter to a minor, and possession of child pornography.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
