From chatroom to rape video: Court records detail East Tennessee girl's abduction, abuse
But when the 14-year-old Monroe County girl told him she was being raped, Bryan Rogers didn't call authorities, according to court records — he asked to see it.
"I know you don't want to do it," one message reads. "But we need clear video evidence. ... you understand that I can get in a hell of a lot of trouble."
Rogers watched the video but kept it for himself, according to the warrant, even though he admitted it clearly showed "a full-blown rape." He claimed he thought it wasn't enough to alert police, agents wrote.
Rogers and the girl began chatting Christmas Eve on Roblox, an online gaming platform. The chats moved to Facebook and an encrypted messaging app, where the girl told him Pruitt was molesting her, according to court records.
"I can't just stay here," she wrote. "If u don't help me somehow I might as well kill my (expletive) self like I've been planning to do."
The girl said no one believed her. Rogers hinted he might not believe her, either, agents said — not without video proof.
FBI agents acting on the digital evidence and a tip knocked at Rogers' door Thursday. They found the girl hiding, scared, but "doing fine," Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said.