Defendant: ‘It was a joke’
BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
STARKE— A Bradford County man who told deputies his sexual texts to a teenager “was a joke” was arrested for molesting the girl on Monday, Jan. 9.
Jason Kelly Wilkes, 38, was booked into the Bradford County jail for lewd and lascivious behavior, using a two-way communications device to commit a felony and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to an arrest report, the girl’s mother contacted deputies after her daughter disclosed the offenses to her.
The defendant was interviewed by a detective at the sheriff’s office and was asked about sexual text messages on the victim’s phone originating from him.
“During the interview, Jason made the comment, “it was a joke,” multiple times when asked about the text messages,” the investigator wrote in the arrest report.
The defendant also denied molesting the girl, maintaining that he only rubbed her legs.
Deputies said Wilkes confessed to providing the teenager with vapes and alcohol.
