Tempe man admits to meeting 8th grader — who he called his 'daughter' — for sex: PD
Tempe man accused of child sex crimes charges
Tempe police arrested 37-year-old Austin Schreiner after an investigation into child sexual abuse and exploitation.
TEMPE, Ariz. - A 37-year-old Tempe man was arrested Tuesday after police reported finding an online account containing child pornography and detailed logs of sexual encounters with a 14-year-old girl.
What we know:
Austin Ellis Schreiner faces 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, and charges of luring a minor, aggravated luring and child enticement. He is currently being held at the Lower Buckeye Jail on a $250,000 bond following an investigation by the Tempe Police Department.
Timeline:
The investigation began on June 10, when detectives say they learned an online account had uploaded 128 files depicting child sexual abuse days earlier. Authorities traced the account's IP address and phone number to Schreiner's home near McKellips and Scottsdale roads.
According to police documents, a search of the online account revealed a chat log between Schreiner and the eighth-grade victim spanning from April 27 to May 29. The two exchanged numerous nude images and videos of themselves, and Schreiner sent photos of his face that investigators matched to his official Arizona MVD record.
Court documents detailed explicit audio messages Schreiner sent to the girl. In one extremely explicit message on May 2, Schreiner reportedly said, "You're so hot … you just know how to do it and your [sic] 14 and I know exactly what you want and how to feel good."
Austin Schreiner stands in a Maricopa County courtroom following his arrest on 16 felony child exploitation charges. (Maricopa County)
‘Daddy daughter show n tell’
The chat logs showed the two planned to meet after the victim asked Schreiner to kidnap her. On May 8, Schreiner drove his silver Toyota Tacoma pickup truck to a park near the girl's home. During an interview with police, Schreiner reportedly admitted the victim got into his truck, where they engaged in sexual acts.
A second meeting allegedly took place one week later at the same location. Schreiner told detectives they engaged in sexual acts again. On May 23, Schreiner sent the victim pornographic anime images and referenced a "daddy daughter show n tell," after which the victim sent him three videos of herself.
Tempe police identified the 14-year-old victim on June 30 through the Department of Child Safety, matching her identity to the online account records. Schreiner was arrested on July 7 by the Tempe Police Criminal Apprehension Surveillance Team. Investigators seized his iPhone and executed a search warrant at his home to seize electronic devices for forensic analysis.
Dig deeper:
During his interview with detectives, Schreiner reportedly admitted that he operated the online account under the username "az.dogdad." Police say he confessed to the communications, acknowledged knowing the victim was 14, and admitted to meeting her twice. Schreiner said he uploaded the explicit files to his online account so he could delete them from his phone to avoid getting caught.
Investigators say Schreiner also admitted to having other sexual chats and explicit media exchanges with other female minors using his online account, though he denied meeting anyone else in person.
What's next:
Schreiner remains in jail before his next court date, which is scheduled for July 14. Tempe police said the investigation is ongoing as they work to identify and locate other potential victims.
Map of the arrest location area:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Tempe Police Department and Maricopa County Superior Court.