BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Mugshot photo is from Grier’s previous arrest. Courtesy of Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.
A former Alabama DOC officer trainee from Deatsville who was arrested in April on solicitation of a child charges was out on bond. However, he was arrested Wednesday for similar, new charges.
Conner Wayne Grier, 21, of Deatsville faces new charges that involve soliciting a child via the internet. His bond was revoked by Circuit Judge Bill Lewis this morning on the previous charge. He was scheduled for a court appearance on those original charges in March. Now he will face more charges and possibly a new bond. But for now, he is in the Elmore County Jail.
The Elmore/Autauga News was contacted by a family member of one of the more recent allegations of contacting a minor.
The family member said that recently Grier had allegedly set up a fake account on social media posing as a young girl, and was messaging a child in her family. The young family member had left home recently to meet with what he thought was the young girl. However, authorities were able to locate the child before he could meet up, and through their investigation realized that the messages had allegedly been coming from Grier posing as a young girl.
“I thank God for the Elmore County deputies, because they put this all together and no harm came to my family member,” our source said. “But I wonder how many others are out there that may be involved, or have been contacted. People just need to know this stuff is real, and it is happening right here around us. It is terrifying.”
Grier was taken into Wednesday and was in court this morning.
Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said that his investigators have a lot of information to sift through, and said further charges are very possible.
“They are going through a lot of electronics now, and it is very possible there could be more charges for Mr. Grier,” Franklin said. “For now he is being cooperative.”
Back in April, Grier was charged with transmitting obscene material to a child, traveling to engage in an unlawful sex act with a child and enticing our soliciting a child by computer. At that time he had bonds set at $200,000 cash only, and was eventually released.
At the time of his first arrest, Grier was a trainee officer for ADOC and working in the Draper/Staton correction facilities within Elmore County, Franklin said.
When captured, Grier was reportedly driving to Illinois to meet up with a female child he had been in contact with over the internet. However, it was an Illinois law enforcement officer pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.
The Illinois officer made contact with Central Alabama CrimeStoppers, who in turn contacted the sheriff’s office. An investigator was able to learn where Grier lived. Deputies moved quickly, and located Grier driving on I-65 for what they believe was an attempt to travel to Illinois to meet the underaged “girl” for sex.
The deputies made a traffic stop, and saw that Grier was on his phone but ended the call. Franklin said that the agency in Illinois called Grier’s phone, and it rang while deputies were present.
Law enforcement officers urge parents to be nosy when it comes to underage children and electronics. Know what applications they are using, and check their phones, computers often. Child predators are real, and they are devious. Report any suspicious activity you find on your child’s phone immediately to your law enforcement agency.
