A 27-year-old Ocala man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly having sex and smoking marijuana with a 15-year-old girl he met on Facebook.

On Sunday, July 28, a woman contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and reported her 15-year-old granddaughter missing. The woman shared that her granddaughter had left the house several times over the course of the month and that she had “pieced together” that her granddaughter had been in a relationship with a man later identified as 27-year-old Jeremy Philip Schinse, according to the arrest report.

An MCSO detective noted in the report that an iPhone belonging to the 15-year-old girl/victim had been tracked to a home in the 8900 SE 87th Terrace block in Ocala using the Find My iPhone app. In addition, the grandmother showed the detective photos of a vehicle the victim had entered.

The investigator looked up the vehicle’s license plate number and confirmed that the vehicle was registered to Schinse. The address registered to Schinse also matched the address to which the victim’s iPhone had been tracked.

The victim soon returned to her grandmother’s house and allegedly confirmed that she had been with Schinse.

On Monday, August 12, the victim was interviewed at Kimberly’s Child Protective Center. During the interview, she stated that she had been dating Schinse for about a month, and she claimed that he “took her out,” “bought her things,” and “respected her,” according to the report.

The victim stated that she initially met Schinse through Facebook Messenger after he added her as a friend. They began messaging each other, and she told investigators that she told Schinse she was 15 years old. The report states that after talking on Messenger for about a week or two, they decided to meet in person.

During the interview, the victim stated that she had sexual intercourse with Schinse in his bedroom a total of three times and that she smoked “weed” with him several times. According to the report, she further stated that they both kept quiet about their relationship because of his age.

The MCSO detective made contact with Schinse at his residence. After being read his Miranda rights, Schinse admitted to meeting the victim and smoking marijuana with her. The report states he denied having sex with the victim and claimed they “kissed and cuddled together.”

During the Miranda interview, Schinse claimed the victim told him she was “either 17, 18 or 19 years old.”

Schinse was arrested on August 12 and booked into the Marion County Jail. He was released from jail five days later after posting $45,000 bail. He is charged with three counts of sexual battery or lascivious battery on a minor and three counts of delivery of marijuana to a minor.

According to jail records, a court date is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17, at 9 a.m.