A former Miami Dade College professor arrested in July after he was found with a missing 15-year-old girl has been re-arrested on child sex charges, authorities said.
Richard Tapia, 46, was originally arrested in July after the girl’s mother had reported that her runaway daughter was at a hotel in Palm Coast with an adult man, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
The teen was found leaving the hotel from the back stairwell while Tapia was found exiting the front lobby, authorities said.
Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office showed him being placed in handcuffs in the hotel lobby.
Flagler County Sheriff’s OfficeFlagler County Sheriff’s Office
Body camera footage from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office shows the July 22, 2026 arrest of Richard Tapia.
Investigators determined Tapia had met the teen through an online app and picked her up in Jacksonville before driving her to Palm Coast.
At the time, Tapia was charged with interference with child custody, but a sexual assault investigating began after the teen told deputies Tapia had raped her multiple times at the hotel, authorities said.
A sexual assault kit was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and after forensic testing confirmed Tapia’s DNA was present, a warrant was issued last week for Tapia for three counts of lewd or lascivious battery on a victim between the age of 12 and 16 years old, the sheriff’s office said.
Tapia was arrested in Palm Beach County and brought to Flagler County, where he was being held on a $350,000 bond.
“This mother’s determination helped us find her daughter which started the investigation on this pervert,” Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement Tuesday. “Our detectives followed the evidence and built a strong case against this predator who took advantage of a vulnerable child.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Tapia worked at Miami Dade College starting in 2010 and was a professor of political science. He was fired after his arrest, the college’s student newspaper reported.
The sheriff’s office believes there may be other victims and are asking anyone with information to call them at 386-393-4911.