A Thousand Oaks man has been handed a 19-year prison term for sexually assaulting two underage girls and using Snapchat to carry out his heinous acts. Connor Joseph Kerns, born on July 31, 2002, admitted to three felony charges on February 2, 2024, which include forcible rape and forcible oral copulation of a minor over 14, and a separate count of forcibly performing sexual acts on a child under 14, as reported by the District Attorney's Office.
In a manipulative scheme that began in July 2021, Kerns, under the pretense of a Snapchat acquaintance, coerced a 16-year-old girl into sending sexually explicit images; later, masquerading as a hacker named Dexter, he threatened to leak these images unless the victim complied with his escalating demands—Kerns's deceptions and abuses culminating in a violent in-person encounter, all these facts emerged during the investigations conducted by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Surprisingly, Kerns repeated this distressing pattern in January 2022, with a 13-year-old Los Angeles County girl who, fortunately, confided in her parents, sparking involvement from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Moreno of the Ventura County District Attorney's Office Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted Kerns, stressing the significance of the lengthy sentence. "The severity of this sentence highlights the defendant's appalling crimes while demonstrating the perils of social media," Moreno said, noting the irreparable harm caused by Kerns’ manipulation of social media platforms to sexually exploit vulnerable young girls. Moreno's comments mirrored the wider concerns about the dangers that social media poses, especially for the youth.
Complicating matters, there has been an alarming 82 percent increase in online enticement of children between 2021-2022, according to a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—a statistic fueling concerns over "financial sextortion," whereby predators target children to share explicit photos and then blackmail them for financial gain, driving some victims to desperate and tragic responses. These distressing trends have led to calls for increased diligence among parents and guardians, with education and monitoring of online activities being urged as vital steps to protect children from these growing threats.
The District Attorney's office hopes that Kerns' prosecution will act as a deterrent against such crimes and serve as a reminder to parents to stay vigilant about who their children interact with online, reinforcing the importance of fostering healthy internet habits. Kerns pleaded guilty to the charges, which were backed by special allegations including the fact that the victims were vulnerable and over the age of 14, and will now face the consequences of his actions behind bars.
