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The New Haven County man, 27-year-old Michael Bernaud of Astonia, was arrested on Wednesday, April 17, according to Connecticut State Police.
Bernaud met his victim at a grand re-opening event at a restaurant (which the boy’s parents took him to) in December 2023, police said.
The young teen then joined an Instagram group for fans of said restaurant, the name of which was not released by police to protect the victim’s identity.
It was then that the victim and Bernaud began their contact, under the guise that Bernaud had restaurant memorabilia that he wanted to sell. Police said the victim and the rest of the group members had all shared their ages.
From January to March 2024, Bernaud occasionally made contact with the victim, sending messages that the victim described as "pedophile type" texts, including asking the 13-year-old if he had ever masturbated before, police said.
In another conversation, authorities claimed Bernaud asked the victim if he had an exercise ball at home; when he said he did, Bernaud went on to ask him to send a video of himself humping the ball while shirtless.
According to the warrant for his arrest, Bernaud also consistently asked the boy for shirtless pictures.
The victim refused. In some cases, he sent pictures of random objects (like a doorframe or a dog); another time, he told Bernaud, “I don’t feel safe.”
“Bro just send me something sexy,” one of Bernaud’s messages read, “Either send me something sexy or stop sending me pictures.”
Bernaud was arrested by a Litchfield County police officer from Woodbury.
He was charged with risk of injury to a child and is due to appear at Waterbury Superior Court on Wednesday, May 1.
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