Brannon Neal Duren-
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SALINAS, Calif. - Raped repeatedly by a man she met online. That's what Salinas Police said a 39-year-old man did to a 15-year-old girl.
Officers said Brannon Duren lured the girl to meet him and raped her several times. They said Duren threatened to hurt her if she didn't cooperate. Police agencies on the central coast said as technology advances, so do these type of crimes.
"We found over the last few years people have been using social media as a way to really be predators and to prey on young kids as young as 10, 11, 12," said Zach Friend, public information officer for Santa Cruz Police.
Friend said these days it's easier for predators to meet your kids online for sex.
"Criminals are smart enough to know to use technology to their advantage and law enforcement has to catch up, or actually be a step ahead," he said.
A couple of weeks ago, 45-year-old John Dowell of Santa Cruz pleaded guilty to repeatedly sexually abusing a three-year-old girl and caught it all on tape.
That's why Santa Cruz Police are active in online sting operations to catch perpetrators, but they said they need your help to protect young kids.
"It's important for parents to be vigilant in what social media outlets their children are using, how they're engaging in it," Friend said.
Duren is in the Monterey County Jail booked on multiple counts of sexual abuse against a child.
