Transgender man arrested after sending racy photo

BROOKSVILLE Deputies say a teen’s mother contacted law enforcement after she found suggestive texts and a photo that were sent to her child’s cell phone by a transgender male.

Aliena Deamete Taylor, 31, of Brooksville, was arrested Saturday on charges of transmission of material that is harmful to minors and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a Hernando County Sheriff’s Office report.

The charges stem from a racy photo that was sent via cell phone to a 16-year-old in late September along with text messages between Taylor and the teen referencing occasions when the two smoked marijuana together.

On Saturday, the teen’s mother checked her child’s cell phone and found the picture, which showed Taylor posing partially clothed in a suggestive pose in front of a mirror. Text messages that were sent from him also led her to believe that the two were involved sexually, the report shows.

Following his arrest, Taylor admitted to smoking pot with the teen but added that the two had not engaged in any sexual activity — although it was moving in that direction, according to the report.

He added he sent the photo to the teen accidentally. It was supposed to go out to those responding to his online Craigslist advertisement.

Taylor was taken to Hernando County Jail where his bond was set at $3,000. He was released the next day and given a court date of Oct. 25.