62-Year-Old Zephyrhills Man Solicited 'Mother' To Have Sex Her With Kids

ZEPHYRHILLS, FL — U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Lavern Lee Renninger, 62, of Zephyrhills to 10 years in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Renninger was also ordered to serve a 20-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

Renninger pleaded guilty on July 19.

According to court documents, from March 3 through March 18, 2020, Renninger engaged in chats through an online classified advertising site and through text messaging with a person he believed to be a St. Johns County mother of two children, ages 11 and 13. Unknown to Renninger, the “mother” was an undercover law enforcement officer.

During online conversations, Renninger provided the “mother” with graphic details of the sexual activity that he wanted to engage in with her children. Renninger said he had “90,000 visions of this” during a phone call with the “mother."

During text conversations in which he believed he was having with the children, Renninger detailed what he wanted to do to them sexually and stressed the importance of keeping their interactions secret.

Renninger was arrested on March 18, when he traveled to meet the “mother” to engage in sexual activity with the children.

“Child predators prey on our most vulnerable, our children,” said Homeland Security Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “HSI and our partners at the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office are now making sure he is held accountable for those crimes.”