An 18-year-old St. Johns County man is facing serious charges after a disturbing incident involving a young child. On August 10, 2025, Nicholas Kyle Perez approached a 7-year-old girl playing in her driveway in northwest St. Johns County. When confronted by the girl’s parents, Perez confessed to having sinister intentions toward the child, stating he wanted to “do bad things” to one of the children.
Deputies from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office swiftly responded. During questioning, Perez admitted to having intrusive thoughts about touching or engaging in sexual acts with the children and stated he waited until he believed they were unsupervised. He further confessed to possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on his computer.
Following this confession, detectives obtained a search warrant and discovered numerous CSAM images on Perez’s electronic devices. Authorities described the findings as deeply disturbing, though details about the volume and nature of the material remain undisclosed. The investigation is ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information to contact them at 904-824-8304 or via email at [email protected].
Bodycam footage released by the Sheriff’s Office shows the arrest. Perez appears distressed, repeatedly asking,
“What happened?”
and pleading,
“I never meant for this to happen.”
The footage highlights the gravity of the situation.
Perez is charged with Attempted Sexual Battery on a Victim Less Than 12 Years Old, a capital felony, and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material, a third-degree felony. He is currently being held at the St. Johns County detention facility. The case is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit, with the potential for federal involvement if evidence of CSAM distribution emerges. No further charges or court updates have been released at this time. This case underscores the importance of vigilance and reporting suspicious activity related to Child Sex Abuse in St. Johns County.
