A 30-year-old Haines City man is in custody after being charged with, among multiple other charges, sexual battery of a 16-year-old girl.
The man contacted the girl online and agreed to pay her $300 for sex. They arranged to meet at an empty house in Davenport. Upon her arrival, the man punched the girl multiple times in the face, tied her up, cut off her underwear, and sexually battered her multiple times. He then put a knife to her throat, attached a dog leash to her neck, and put her in his truck. He drove the truck until the vehicle became stuck in an orange grove, where he then sexually battered her again. He fled the scene on foot, leaving the young girl tied up in the truck.
Law enforcement received a call from the girl’s suspected pimp when she did not return home. He claimed that he was worried about her. He is also in custody, charge with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The kidnapper in this instance has a long criminal history. Polk County sheriff, Grady Judd, stated that he is convinced that had his deputies not found the girl, she very likely would have been murdered.
As a Defendant in a case of this nature, it is best that a party never speak to law enforcement or any other authorized individual or agency alone. It is always best to have an experienced attorney present so that one is not coerced into further incrimination by manipulation or threat.
Source: WFLA.com, “Teen found kidnapped and battered in Polk County after suspected pimp calls police worried about her,” Melissa Marino and WFLA Web Staff, Dec. 5, 2017
