Augusta Photographer Discovers Unlikely Encounter in Elementary School Parking Lot

An individual from Augusta was apprehended with a 16-year-old male outside a nearby elementary school and admitted to having engaged in sexual activities earlier with the minor, officials reported.

Devin Michael Aikens, 29, residing in Augusta, was detained on Friday for aggravated child molestation and sodomy. The individual presents himself online as a photographer running his own enterprise.

Police from North Augusta discovered both individuals inside a car parked at North Augusta Elementary School. They indicated they had connected on a dating application named Sniffies, which is a map-based hookup app designed for gay, bisexual, and bicurious men.

The app provides a map that displays the estimated locations of nearby users who are currently online or have recently been active, as stated on the Sniffies website. However, the app specifies that its services are intended for individuals aged 18 years and above. The map also highlights the locations of groups and popular spots in the user’s vicinity.

When law enforcement approached the duo in North Augusta, they confessed to having oral and anal intercourse around 11 p.m. on December 26 at the suspect’s home on Pleasantry Drive in Augusta, according to officials.

Aikens was detained and taken to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, where he remained incarcerated on Monday without bond.