MANATEE A professional tennis player has been charged with trying to meet and have sex with a 13-year-old girl, according to the Manatee County Sheriffs Office.
The girl and Pierre-Ludovic Duclos-Lasnier, 27, met on Feb. 9 or 10 at the public tennis courts near Jessie P. Miller Elementary School. Duclos-Lasnier was coaching a male and passed his business card along to the girl who was accompanied by an adult, according to the sheriffs office.
A few days later, the two began text messaging and the conversation turned sexual. The mother gave the victims phone to detectives after he sent a photograph of his penis, according to the sheriff's report.
A detective assumed the identity of the victim and began chatting with Duclos-Lasnier on the victims cell phone, according to the sheriffs office.
Duclos-Lasnier continued to solicit for sex and sent an additional picture of his penis to whom he thought was the girl. He also offered to meet the girl and take her to his residence in the 1900 block of 25th Avenue West to have sex, according to a news release.
About 9:05 p.m. Thursday, he responded to the meeting point at Starbucks, 5783 Manatee Ave. W., and was arrested.
According to ATP.com, Duclos-Lasnier turned pro in 2007 and is ranked 610th among male tennis players. He is a native of a Quebec.
Duclos-Lasnier faces charges of use of a computer to solicit a child to commit sex acts, traveling to solicit a child to commit sex acts, two counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor and attempted lewd and lascivious battery, according to the sheriffs office.
Duclos-Lasnier made a full confession after being read his Miranda rights, according to his arrest report.
He was being held without bond at the Manatee County jail.


Palmetto principal cleared of allegation he failed to report child abuse

