Former MTV star arrested on grooming charges after a year on the run: sheriff

CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — A former MTV reality star was arrested in Clearwater, Florida, Thursday after a year on the run from police in Illinois.

Connor Smith, 33, was taken into custody on an open warrant from Lake County, Illinois. The warrant was issued last February after he was accused of chatting with a detective posing as an underage girl.

Smith is known for his appearance on the MTV reality show “Are You the One?” in 2015.

Detectives began investigating Smith after he allegedly sent explicit images and videos of himself to an undercover detective posing as a girl under age 15. He was also accused of making plans to meet the victim.

According to Nexstar's WGN, Smith fled from deputies as they attempted to arrest him at his home in Orland Park, Illinois. 

The Lake County Sheriff's Office issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest on charges of grooming, traveling to meet a minor and disseminating harmful material. He was arrested by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office at his Clearwater address on Thursday afternoon.

Smith was booked into the Pinellas County Jail, where he is being held without bond. Additional information is expected to be released after he makes his first court appearance on Friday.