James Uthmeier’s office charges man accused of human trafficking with victim tampering

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Wakulla County man is accused of trying to intimidate a minor he forced into prostitution in Leon, Wakulla and Bay counties.

A man already in jail on human trafficking charges in Wakulla County is being charged with victim tampering by the Attorney General’s Office.

Sky Skidmore, 22, is now facing allegations of trying to intimidate several people as he was incarcerated in the Wakulla County Jail. Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Statewide Prosecutors got involved in the case and said Skidmore tried to tamper with three people while he was being held in pretrial detention.

Uthmeier, in a press release this week, said Skidmore was sending letters to the victim, the victim’s mother, and his own mother. The letters were meant to intimidate the people but were intercepted by law enforcement officials.

“This defendant, who is currently in pretrial detention for committing heinous acts of human trafficking against a minor, chose to escalate his terrible situation by sending letters to intimidate and deter the victim from testifying at trial,” said Uthmeier. “Our Statewide Prosecutors have added this additional charge for this human trafficker and will continue to work diligently to hold him accountable for his atrocious crimes.”

While Skidmore faces trial in Wakulla County, the original charges facing him stem from an investigation in 2024. The Wakulla Sun reported Skidmore is accused of trafficking a 15-year-old girl whom he forced into prostitution in Wakulla, Leon, and Bay counties in the Panhandle.

Skidmore was arrested in September on additional charges of human trafficking of a minor for commercial sexual activity. He’s also charged with promoting the sexual performance of a child and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Attorney General Statewide Prosecutor Guillermo Vallejo is handling the case.

According to the Sun’s coverage, Skidmore is accused of having sex with the girl and posting nude photos of her on the internet. He then allegedly transported the girl to several hotels in the three counties so she would have sex for money with several men.

The case involves several law enforcement agencies, including the Tallahassee Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Drew Dixon

Drew Dixon is a journalist of 40 years who has reported in print and broadcast throughout Florida, starting in Ohio in the 1980s. He is also an adjunct professor of philosophy and ethics at three colleges, Jacksonville University, University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. You can reach him at [email protected].


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