Sexual predator caught talking to children, BSO says. Now, a search for potential victims
.png "Frederick Thomas Muller, a registered sexual predator, was spotted talking to children near a community center last Thursday, and detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office are asking for potential victims to come forward.")
A registered sexual predator recently released from prison was seen talking to children near a Broward community center last week — and now detectives are seeking potential victims, according to authorities.
Frederick Thomas Muller, a Wilton Manors resident, has been charged with the sexual offender violations of failure to register as required and failure to renew information on driver’s license within 48 hours, Broward County court records show. The 38-year-old man is being held in county jail as of Monday afternoon.
A witness alerted Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday afternoon that a man appeared to be talking to children and attempting to lure them to him at Collins Community Center, located at 3800 Northeast Third Avenue in Oakland Park, BSO said Monday in a news release. The children he approached, investigators say, may have recently been dismissed from Oakland Park Elementary School, the agency noted.
Muller was later found and arrested just after 3 p.m. Thursday about a half mile from the community center, court records show.
In 2007, Muller was convicted of three counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 15, and he was sentenced to probation, according to county and Florida Department of Corrections records. He eventually violated the terms of his probation, and went to prison from March 2015 through June 27.
Detectives say no victims have come forward yet.
If anyone was victimized by Muller or has information about this incident, they are asked to contact BSO Detective Marlene Schnakenberg at 954-321-4789 or submit a tip anonymously by contacting Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org or by calling **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 4:26 PM.
