He promised to look after a dead father’s children. He molested one of them

When a Broward County father of a teenage boy and two preteens died in 2014, family friend and long-haul trucker Kevin Scott Mitchell said he would look after the children.

Mitchell looked after the teenager by taking video of him and photographing him while sexually abusing him for three years, according to the U.S. District Court criminal complaint. Then, when the boy tried to cut off contact, Mitchell blackmailed the boy by threatening to put photos and videos on internet blast.

That’s when the boy got Boynton Beach police involved. And Homeland Security investigators got involved.

Now, 62-year-old Kevin Scott Mitchell will be involved with the federal prison system for a long time after pleading guilty to production of child pornography and transmission of child pornography.

Mitchell is facing at least 15 years on the production charge and at least five years on the transmission charge, which might be served concurrently. He’ll be sentenced in January.

When in town, Mitchell would buy things for the boy, the criminal complaint stated, “including a cellular phone, shoes, clothes and a vibrator.” Though the boy lived in Broward and Mitchell was from Lake Worth, Boynton Beach police caught the case because Mitchell’s molestation sessions occurred at a Boynton Beach hotel. Mitchell’s initial demand that the boy masturbate him escalated until the adult demanded intercourse.

“Victim 1 complied out of fear of Mitchell,” the criminal complaint stated.

The boy told police, in 2016, Mitchell turned cinematographer, recording the abuse with his GoPro camera. The SD card inside the camera, the boy told police, transmitted pictures to Mitchell’s cellphone and other mobile devices in the truck.

So, when Mitchell sent a sinister e-mail after the boy stopped talking to him, the boy knew Mitchell might not just be talking loud and saying nothing (electronically). Part of the e-mail including in court documents read:

“You got prom and graduation coming up right off, you wouldn't want screen shots and video clips popping up everywhere amongst your friends and you know ... what I'm talking about so if you want them to go away you better call me. things were done on a bogus account so they can't come back to somebody and everything is downloaded ready to go. not a word anybody just you and me to talk you got till Friday afternoon before you go to work to get a hold of me, who knows they might even end up at your work. there's already been an offer for the whole works, but that isn't going to happen right now. you and only you need to get a hold of me go somewhere quiet and call me just you, I'm waiting.''

A Boynton Beach detective assumed the boy’s identity to answer Mitchell online and in text message conversations. The boy called Mitchell with law enforcement listening to the call. Mitchell texted the detective-posing-as-boy photographs of the boy performing oral sex on Mitchell. Mitchell confirmed he had photos and videos on his SD card and tablet.

That’s production and transmission of a minor in a sexual act.

And, for Mitchell, that’s at least 15 years in federal prison.

This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 10:34 AM with the headline "He promised to look after a dead father’s children. He molested one of them."