An Alabama woman was arrested in Florida after allegedly driving for over two hours with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a minor.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) responded to a residence on Phoenix Street in Santa Rosa Beach on March 29th, following a 911 call concerning a juvenile at the house who was reportedly drinking and smoking.
Deputies made contact with Tracey Heinfeld, 53, of Leeds, Alabama, who stated that she had driven from Orange Beach to check on a teenager who was a friend of her son. She claimed she had obtained the teenager’s location through someone’s account on Snapchat and was concerned for his well-being.
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However, when deputies interviewed the juvenile, the teen expressed fear of Heinfeld and stated that she was attempting to have sex with him. The juvenile also showed deputies text messages sent from Heinfeld’s phone that explicitly indicated her intent to engage in sexual activity with him.
Deputies observed Heinfeld send two pictures to the juvenile’s phone while they were reviewing the messages. The first was a photo of a WCSO patrol vehicle at the scene, and the second was a picture of deputies standing in front of the house.
After being read her Miranda rights, Heinfeld continued to speak with deputies, reiterating that she had learned the juvenile’s address through Snapchat. Deputies gained access to her phone and discovered that she had deleted text messages from her conversation with the juvenile.
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The recovered text messages corroborated the messages on the juvenile’s phone. One text message from Heinfeld to the juvenile read:
“I’m coming to see you. I’m already halfway there, so when I get there, do you wanna go to the club? I’ll go to the pub with you. Maybe I’ll pick you up a drink and get you drunk and take advantage of you, or maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll just let you see me and then just turn around and go home.”
Heinfeld was arrested and charged with:
- Using an electronic device to solicit a child
- Traveling to meet a minor for sex
- Cyberstalking
- Tampering with evidence
She was transported to the Walton County Jail, where her bond was set at $500,000. She remains in custody.
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