A corrections officer at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence is now on the other side of the bars after investigators say he tried to lure someone he believed was a 16-year-old into a sexual meeting. The person on the other end of those messages was not a teen, but a California YouTuber running decoy accounts to confront suspected predators, and Florence police say the case stems from weeks of explicit messages and photos. Authorities booked the officer in Pinal County, where he is being held on bond pending prosecution.
Pinal County court documents reviewed by FOX 10 Phoenix identify the suspect as Aaron Slaughter and state that he faces one count of aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation. According to the station, Slaughter was arrested on July 15 and is being held on a $100,000 bond. Police say he admitted to the exchanges but told investigators he did not intend to meet the decoy in person.
The YouTuber who confronted him, known online as the Big Bad Wolf, posted a video of the encounter and told FOX 10 Phoenix that Slaughter “was literally using the computer inside of the prison to access his Snapchat account” and had sent explicit videos and photos from inside. Police say they reviewed weeks of conversations that included naked images and discussions about meeting.
Court records and reporting identify Slaughter as a correctional officer assigned to the ASPC-Eyman prison complex in Florence. The facility is listed in state agency resources at 4373 E. Butte Ave., Florence, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security's facilities list.
Legal charges and penalties
Aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation is a felony under Arizona law and carries prison exposure that increases with the victim's age and other aggravating factors. The Arizona Legislature's statutory summaries outline luring offenses and the sentencing ranges available to prosecutors.
A pattern of online decoys
Undercover decoy operations and independent predator-hunting creators have pushed similar cases into the spotlight across Arizona in recent months, with prosecutors using message logs and decoys to build cases. A recent Hoodline piece about a Yavapai County sting noted a Phoenix man who was sentenced to 10 years after an undercover decoy operation, underscoring how law enforcement and decoy accounts sometimes work in tandem to stop exploitation before a real child is put at risk.
Slaughter's case will move through Pinal County courts as prosecutors review the evidence and decide next steps. If he is convicted, the aggravated luring charge carries significant prison exposure. Florence police and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry provided limited comment to the station, and court filings are expected to be the clearest source of new details as the case progresses.
