DeLAND, Fla. – A DeLand man is accused of raping a runaway teen, according to police.
Carlos A. Ortiz, 32, was arrested on Wednesday and faces charges of sexual battery on a person between 12 and 18 years old and failure to deliver leased equipment, records show.
The victim was flagged as missing on Monday, the DeLand Police Department said in a news release, adding that although officers came into contact with her around 10:40 p.m. the next day while investigating a report of a suspicious incident, it was only determined later that she was the missing teen due in part to how she allegedly provided a fake name.
The teen was eventually found at Chess Park on Wednesday, the release states. There, she told officers that she had been raped by Ortiz, who was quickly found and taken into custody, police said.
Detectives went on to learn the teen had communicated with another individual on a dating platform where she allegedly misrepresented her age, according to the release. That individual contacted police, yet the teen ran away before officers arrived, the release states.
The Department of Children and Families was contacted and took the girl into state custody after it was determined her home was unsuitable, police said.
Ortiz is being held on no bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
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