ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In March, Albuquerque police said they stopped a Florida man from taking a 14-year-old Albuquerque boy to a furry convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. APD had 33-year-old Conrad Coovert in their grasp but let him go, they say, to build their child abuse case.

Coovert took off, but police in Florida arrested him and he made his first appearance in court Thursday.

New court documents show that Coovert was after more than just a trip to Las Vegas. It appears to be a long-term case of online grooming.

Prosecutors filed a detention motion so Coovert can’t skip town again. According to the arrest warrant, the boy’s mother dropped him off at Guitar Center last month. She then called police because he didn’t come home.

Police say security video showed Coovert leaving the store with the 14-year-old boy. APD later found them at a coffee shop near the Greyhound bus station.

According to court documents, the boy said they had been in an online relationship since 2021 and Coovert told him he wanted to get married.

Again, prosecutors want Coovert held in jail until trial. A hearing on that is expected within a few days.