MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged with transmission of harmful material to a minor and five counts of sexual battery on a victim between 12 and 16 years of age.
According to an announcement by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, an MCSO Major Crimes detective arrested Anthony Lee Groves on Saturday, July 4, 2026, after an investigation allegedly revealed Groves had been sending “sexually charged” material to a victim via Snapchat on a regular basis, and that some of the messages indicated had sexually battered the same victim.
The investigation began when one of the juvenile victim’s parents discovered the messages on her phone.
In a subsequent interview, the victim advised that Groves had sexually battered her a total of five times.
Groves was located and taken into custody. While being interviewed by the MCSO detective, Groves initially stated that he and the victim were merely friends, though he knew she was a juvenile; when faced with the fact that authorities had viewed the messages between him and the victim, however, Groves admitted to the sexual battery. He was arrested and transported to the Marion County jail, where he remains at press time.
“Due to the nature of these crimes, Groves may have additional victims,” read the announcement. “Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Detective Kephart at (352) 368-3562.”