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20,000 text msgs found, some nude, could send gay Florida teen to jail

Posted at 10:43 AM, Aug 20, 2013
and last updated 2013-08-20 11:27:53-04

(CNN) — Is Kaitlyn Hunt headed to jail?

A Florida judge will decide the gay Florida teen’s fate Tuesday after prosecutors pulled her plea deal when they discovered she’d exchanged about 20,000 text messages with the underage teen girl at the center of the case against her.

Their relationship began when Hunt was 18 and the teen was 14.

Hunt’s family has said the relationship was consensual; the younger girl’s family said it was sexual.

Under Florida law, a 14-year-old can’t give consent.

Hunt, who turned 19 last week, was charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery.

Deal nixed

Prosecutors had offered Hunt a deal: Plead guilty to one felony that could later be removed from her record and two misdemeanors in exchange for community service — with no jail time and no mandatory ankle bracelet.

Hunt was free on bail while awaiting trial. She was booked into detention Monday night. And now, prosecutors want her bond revoked after the discovery of the texts.

They say Hunt violated a February court order to not contact the girl.

In court documents, prosecutors said Hunt gave the girl an iPod in February — a device they say was used to receive and send about 20,000 text messages between the two.

Prosecutors also said 25 photographs — including nudes — were also sent, and secret meetings took place between the two.

“These photographs are explicit and depict the defendant nude,” the documents state.

Prosecutors also included examples of texts they say Hunt sent to the girl, including: “(N)o matter what if they find out we talked I’m going to jail until trial starts.”

The state also said the younger girl told a detective that Hunt would drive her to “a remote location where they would have intimate physical contact.” The court papers claim that the most recent meeting took place two weeks ago.

National attention

The Hunt family has refused to comment, and their attorney has not responded to CNN’s request for an interview.

The case gained national attention when Hunt’s family went public on Facebook after she was charged, detailing their daughter’s case and essentially accusing the victim’s family of going after their daughter because she is gay.

The younger girl’s family said that isn’t true and that they were only trying to protect their teenage daughter.

If convicted, Hunt could face 15 years in prison.