NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) – A Guatemalan man wanted in Charlotte County for alleged child molestation has been arrested in North Port, authorities said.
In June, detectives from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation and eventually obtained an arrest warrant for Juan Rafael Hernandez for lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years of age.
Hernandez fled to South Carolina before he could be interviewed, investigators said. But on Nov. 30, Hernandez was located and arrested in North Port.
The sheriff’s office says Hernandez allegedly confessed after his arrest and was taken to the Sarasota County Jail where he is being held with no bond to be extradited to Charlotte County.
Hernandez was determined to be a Guatemalan citizen who was deported in 2016 and re-entered the U.S. as a refugee in 2018, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Copyright 2025 WWSB. All rights reserved.