CLEARWATER, BC — A former MTV reality star was arrested Friday in Clearwater — ending a year-long manhunt over accusations he tried to meet up with a minor for sex.
An arrest warrant was first issued for 33-year-old Connor Smith in February 2023 out of Lake County, Illinois. Deputies there said Smith was communicating online for several weeks with an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old girl.
"During the conversations, Smith sent ‘the child’ sexually explicit images and videos of himself. Smith then made arrangements to meet the ‘girl’ for a sexual encounter," the Lake County Sheriff's Office wrote in 2023.
When Smith reportedly arrived at the home for the sexual encounter, he was greeted by detectives who tried to apprehend him, but he was able to escape and drive off in his car.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) joined the sheriff's office in its investigation, calling Smith "armed and dangerous" and a "flight risk" in a February 2023 post.
Smith is facing charges of:
- Traveling to Meet a Minor (class 3 felony)
- Grooming (class 4 felony)
- Disseminating Harmful Material (class 4 felony)
Smith starred in the MTV reality series "Are You The One?" in 2015. It's not clear how he ended up in Clearwater or how Pinellas County Sheriff's detectives located him.