Man charged with chatting with teen online and planning to run away together

A 37-year-old Lake Worth man who tracked the cell phone of a teen he had been chatting with online and intended to run away together was arrested Saturday by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The 16-year-old from Avery, N.C. met John Mattaliano, also known as “Johnny Woods,” in a teen chat room. He at first told her he was 17, then 26 and finally admitted that he was 37.

The romantic relationship went on for three months, according to the teen, and Mattaliano bought and mailed the girl a cell phone that had a tracking device. He also sent her pictures of his penis; no less than two of the photos were sent in Sarasota County, according to the sheriff’s office.

While the girl was on vacation in Sarasota County with family friends, they talked about a plan to be together, according to the probable cause affidavit. But when he rented a U-Haul pickup truck and drove from West Palm Beach to Venice, Mattaliano said he had scared the girl into telling the truth to those she was vacationing with in Venice.

When law enforcement arrived on scene at a location on East Venice Avenue on Friday, he was hiding in a nearby wooded area.

Mattaliano faces felony charges of transmission of material harmful to minors by electronic device, prohibited computer usage and traveling to meet a minor. He is being held at the Sarasota County Jail on a $59,000 bond.

This story was originally published April 24, 2017 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Man charged with chatting with teen online and planning to run away together."