Crime & Safety
Man Paid Off Two Girls He Molested, Detectives Say
The accused St. Petersburg man began touching the girls in a sexual manner when they were 13 years old, authorities said.
A St. Petersburg man is accused of molesting two girls and paying them to let him do so, Pinellas County Sheriff's detectives said Wednesday.
Vanchai Ki Techo, 58, faces two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. Investigators say Techo began touching the two girls, now 15 and 18 years old, "in a sexual manner" when they were each 13.
Techo, who lives in the 5000 block of 47th Avenue North, "inappropriately touched both victims multiple times and would pay them money for letting him do so," a sheriff's spokesperson said in a media release.
Detectives began investigating after the two victims, who were known to Techo but not further identified, after they disclosed the alleged molestation.
The incidents occurred at a home in unincorporated St. Petersburg, authorities said.
Techo was released from Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday morning after posting $40,000 bond.
The investigation is still ongoing.
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