Austrian man crossed ocean to see Sarasota girl he met online, cops say. He ended up in jail

An Austrian man was arrested after crossing the Atlantic Ocean to see a girl he met online, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office got a call around 7:30 p.m. Monday from the girl’s mother saying she believed her teenage daughter ran away to meet a man she had been talking to over the Internet, according to a probable cause affidavit.

After receiving a tip about the girl’s location, the sheriff’s office found her and 18-year-old Leo T. Simetzberger, who came from Austria to meet the girl, according to the affidavit.

The 15-year-old girl told investigators she and Simetzberger were in a relationship and planned for him to come to the U.S.

Simetzberger told detectives they met online in September. He was charged with lewd or lascivious battery and is being held in the Sarasota County jail on a $7,500 bond, according to the sheriff’s office.