Girl calls sex assault phone line, gets sex chat

updated 10:15 p.m. ET July 25, 2007

LAKE CITY, Fla. - The state attorney general’s office removed the toll-free number for a sexual assault counseling center from its Web site after an 8-year-old girl was connected instead to a sex chat line.

The North Central Florida Sexual Assault Center shut down months ago, and the company that runs the chat line bought the number.

The girl’s mother, Karen Carter, said her daughter called because she witnessed inappropriate behavior two years ago, but at the time, was not ready to talk about it. Carter said it was nothing serious enough to involve authorities.

On Sunday, the girl approached her mother and said she wanted to talk. Carter decided to call the toll-free number she found in the phonebook hoping the operators would offer advice to her daughter. She said she handed her daughter the phone and walked away to give her privacy.

“I come back a few seconds later and she has this look on her face of surprise and then horror and then her eyes start tearing up,” Carter said. “I never thought in my wild’s dreams that she would get a sex line. I was trying to help my daughter.”

The chat line’s number has been removed from the attorney general’s Web site, and his office has apologized to the girl’s family.

“Again our sincerest apologies to the family that was affected,” said Sandi Copes, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill McCollum.

More from msnbc.com Elkhart Project Blog: We're at the county fair More personal stories of struggle and recovery CQ: GOP decides 'it's the economy' in 2010 Electric cars poised to jolt auto industry Field Notes: Reporter recalls JFK Jr. tragedy Jews attacking Jews in the Holy City of Jerusalem

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

After gator warning, woman finds pot lab Ex-tax worker: I stole $11 million for love Visa card surprise: $23,148,855,308,184,500 PETA suggests nondairy Jackson sculpture Naked man in cemetery: I was admiring flowers Python hunts? Florida mulls idea Cops' clue: Panties hanging from pants Oops! Plane doing loops hits car Bride's bouquet causes plane crash in Italy Train-mooning draws smaller, calmer crowd Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: