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(NAVARRE, Fla.) March 2nd -- A Gulf Coast man is behind bars, charged with sex crimes against young girls. It's how he gained access to these girls that makes this story so unusual...
Deputies say 40-year-old Anthony Gibbs convinced a young, local girl he knew well to recruit her friends for him. Deputies say he formed relationships with the girls, sent emails, promised them overnight trips to the beach, and eventually created new victims.
"He appeared to be a hardworking man," said G. Wayne Thompson, a neighbor. "I don't know if he was caught up in something, but he's still entitled his day in court."
When investigators searched Gibbs' trailer in Navarre, Florida, they say they discovered homemade pornographic videos involving countless girls aged 16 and younger.
This neighbor asked us to hide her identity. "I don't like it," she emphasized. "There are a lot of young girls in this neighborhood."
Deputies believe much of the activity happened inside two trailers on Black Jack Circle. They say Gibbs would video record them engaged in sex acts.
"Where were the moms, dads, grandpas, and uncles when all this was going on," questioned Thompson.
For now, sheriff's deputies say they are sifting through all of the videos, hoping to identify the girls. They fear most of them were local.
"Tony, I hope you get your just reward," said the anonymous neighbor. "and take God as your savior!"
Tonight sheriff's deputies say Gibbs is in the Santa Rosa County Jail, charged with 2 counts sexual battery. More charges pending.
Deputies believe there were countless local victims. They're asking parents to talk with children and ask them if they came into contact with Anthony Gibbs. If you suspect your child was a victim, call the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Department.
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