A Marion County man has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Clayton Lee Harris, 22, of Ocklawaha, entered the plea and now faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. The sentencing date has not yet been determined.
Court records state that on July 26, 2025, Harris contacted an undercover officer who was posing as a 14-year-old girl on an online dating website. Harris agreed to meet at a local gas station for a sexual encounter and was apprehended by law enforcement upon arrival.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson is prosecuting the case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc,” stated officials.
