Complaint: Sex offender traveled to Fox Valley to assault girl he met online

A West Virginia man is accused of making trips to the Fox Valley to sexually assault a young girl he met online.

Cort W. Davis, 30, is charged in Outagamie County with 1st Degree Child Sexual Assault - Sexual Intercourse with a Child Under Age 13; four counts of Sexual Assault of a Child Under 16 Years of Age; and Child Enticement.

On May 21, a Grand Chute Police officer was assigned to investigate a sexual assault that happened at a motel in the Town of Grand Chute.

A criminal complaint obtained by Action 2 News says the victim was identified as a 13-year old girl. The suspect was identified as Cort Davis.

The victim told the officer that she had met a man named "Caleb" online in Dec. 2017. "Caleb" was the name used by Cort Davis. As "Caleb", he told the victim he was from Ohio and he was 19-years old.

The girl said she told "Caleb" her age, which was 12 at the time.

In April 2018, "Caleb" traveled to Appleton and took the victim to the mall. He bought her some clothes and food.

She said "Caleb" came back to Appleton during a weekend in May and rented a room at a motel. The girl said she stayed with him there, but denied that there was sexual contact.

A detective went to the motel and learned Cort Davis had checked in that weekend in May. Surveillance footage showed Davis and the victim walking into the motel.

On June 18, the victim, now 13, told authorities about five separate sexual assaults that happened during Davis' visits to the Appleton area in April and May. One of the assaults happened when she was still 12. The other four happened after her 13th birthday.

Detectives set up a sting through Snapchat with the help of the victim. The detectives listened in while the victim had a video chat with Davis.

Davis made a number of sexual statements that appeared to confirm he had assaulted the girl on previous occasions, the complaint states.

"In the text messages and calls the victim made in the presence of law enforcement, the defendant made several statements which could be interpreted as admissions or at least acknowledgements that he sexually assaulted her," said Alex Duros, Assistant District Attorney, Outagamie County.

Officers found Davis at the motel in the Town of Grand Chute and placed him under arrest.

Davis is a registered sex offender. In 2015, Davis was convicted of Attempted Possessing Sexual Performance By a Child in New York state.

His last address was listed as Beckley, West Virginia.

On June 20, Davis appeared in Outagamie County Court. Bond was set at $200,000. Davis has another hearing scheduled for July 5.

Action 2 News spoke with Marianne Radley of Reach Counseling. The Neenah facility helps victims of sexual assault.

Radley says it is a reality that predators travel far and wide to meet their victims.

"A type of situation a lot of times that we hear a lot in the national news media or maybe on TV shows," Radley says. "But these type of situations can absolutely happen here in Wisconsin or in the Fox Valley."

Radley says parents should always know their child's digital habits.

"Knowing what type of apps that they're using, knowing what forms of communication they're using online, computer, or cell phones and just making sure that there's a certain amount of transparency there," Radley says.