LAKELAND, Fla. – A Miami man was arrested Tuesday by Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 10-year-old girl he met online.
Jonathan Fundora, 23, was taken into custody Tuesday at a motel in Lakeland. He faces numerous charges, including kidnapping, sexual battery on a victim under 12, traveling to meet a minor, five counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of directing the sexual performance of a child and two counts of using a computer to seduce a child.
According to an arrest affidavit, Fundora, who is a Burger King manager, met the victim on an online app about six weeks ago and also spoke with her on Facebook and via text message.
Detectives said Fundora groomed the victim online, directed her to perform sex acts and send him photos and videos of her.
Authorities said he later arranged to travel to Polk County to meet up with her.
Detectives said Fundora took three days off work and drove to Lakeland on Tuesday. They said he met the victim at the end of the road where she lives and the victim left a note for her parent claiming that she was going to stay at a friend’s house for three days.
Detectives said the parent immediately reported the girl missing after finding the note.
Deputies said it took them 35 minutes after receiving the 911 call to identify Fundora as the suspect and the vehicle that he drives via Fundora's Facebook page.
The vehicle was spotted at a Motel 6 in Lakeland, where Fundora was taken into custody, authorities said.
Deputies said the victim was found hiding in the bathroom.
Both the victim and the suspect told detectives they had sex and a sexual assault kit confirmed the sexual abuse, authorities said.
"This suspect groomed and manipulated a little girl online and then traveled all the way to Polk County to sexually abuse her," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "He is the poster child for why it is critical that parents monitor their children's activities online. I commend our patrol deputies for catching him in the act of sexually abusing a child, and I shudder to think of what the other horrible consequences would have been had her parent not immediately reported her missing. We will do everything in our power to ensure he spends the rest of his life behind bars."
Detectives said Fundora also had photos and videos of the victim on his electronic devices, which he directed her to take of herself, depicting sex acts.
Further charges are pending a full forensic analysis of all his devices.
Fundora is being held at the Polk County Jail and is expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon.