Man in ‘chat’ case charged with rape

LINCOLNVILLE – A North Carolina man who enticed a local girl to run away from home after they met through an Internet chat room for devotees of goth culture has been charged with statutory rape.

Robert Ramon Morino Owens, 25, of Leland, N.C., was arrested Wednesday and charged with statutory rape and solicitation of a child by computer to commit unlawful sex. He was being held Thursday at the Brunswick, N.C., County Jail on $30,000 bail.

The 15-year-old Camden Hills Regional High School student was found in the company of Owens at his home in Leland on Tuesday. She was placed under protective custody and released to family members at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

According to Waldo County Chief Deputy Bob Keating, the girl was traced to Owens’ home on Tuesday after she made a call to her father from Owens’ home telephone. The girl told her father she was fine but declined to reveal her location, Keating said.

Keating praised the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department’s rapid response to his call for assistance. He said deputies tracked Owens down within hours of learning of his alleged involvement with the missing girl.

Keating said police were concerned that Owens might have allegedly attempted to lure other girls through chat room discussions.

“It looks like he may have done this in the past with teenage females from New York and Florida,” said Keating.

Keating said authorities confiscated two hard drives from Owens’ computers and that the FBI is reviewing their contents. Keating said Owens could face federal charges for luring a minor across state lines.

Authorities were notified of the girl’s disappearance by an adult with whom she lives. The woman reported the girl missing Sunday night.

The woman checked the girl’s computer and discovered that she had been involved in discussions with a man through a goth chat room. Goth is a youth culture that focuses on the darker side of human nature.