HIALEAH, Fla. – A Miramar police officer has been arrested on accusations that he had sex with a minor.
Miramar Police Chief Delrish Moss confirmed Friday that Officer Jose Hernandez, 28, was taken into custody by the Hialeah Police Department on “serious charges.”
“Regretfully, one of our officers has been arrested by the Hialeah Police Department on very serious charges,” the police chief said in a statement. “While it is important to respect the presumption of innocence of every person accused of a crime, he has been relieved of his duties without pay pending the developments of this case.”
According to an arrest warrant, Hernandez, who is engaged to be married to a woman of his same age, met a 17-year-old girl on Tinder who he began a sexual relationship with in March.
Police said the teen admitted to lying about her age to Hernandez, and telling him she was 23. She later told him she was 18 years old, about to turn 19, authorities said.
According to the warrant, the sexual relationship came to light by Miami Gardens police on April 13 when the victim called 911 while walking her dog because she had stumbled upon a garbage bag that she thought contained a body.
Miami Gardens police said they confirmed there was no body inside the bag and the victim appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis.
Police said the teen appeared “dirty, frantic and unkempt.”
“The victim stated, ‘I’m so confused. I’m so nervous’ and admitted to being off her medications, the arrest warrant stated.
According to the warrant, officers asked the teen if they could call her parents and she handed her phone to one of the officers.
Authorities said the officer then came across text messages between the teen and Hernandez, which suggested they had a sexual relationship.
According to the warrant, the teen admitted to meeting up with Hernandez three times, including at a motel in Hialeah where they had sex.
The teen later notified police that Hernandez called her from an unknown number on May 23 and asked her whether she had lied to him about her age, telling her that he was in trouble and was going to lose his job.
“The victim said the subject did not ask her to become uncooperative with law enforcement, he did not threaten her or say anything of the sort,” the warrant stated. “The victim hung up on him.”
Moss said Hernandez has worked for the Miramar Police Department since February 2020.
“I want to express my deepest sympathies to the victim and all those impacted by these events,” Moss said. “Our thoughts are with them, and we are committed to supporting them and ensuring that justice is served.
“As a department, we take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and accountability. Any violation of these standards is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We are cooperating fully with the Hialeah Police Department and will take all necessary steps to ensure this matter is thoroughly investigated.
“Incidents such as this can damage the public’s trust in law enforcement, but I want to assure you that we are committed to upholding the law and serving our community with integrity and respect.”
Although the teen never told Hernandez she was underage, Criminal Defense Attorney Michael Grieco told Local 10 News that it doesn’t matter in the eyes of the law.
“Saying that you had bad information or that the younger people had lied about the age, that is not a defense,” he said. “The lesson learned is you can’t take someone’s age at face value.”
Hernandez faces charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to his arrest report, he voluntarily went to the Hialeah police station Thursday and invoked his right not to provide a statement to detectives without having an attorney present.
Hernandez appeared in court Friday where a judge ordered him to have no contact with the teen.
Local 10 News went to the home Hernandez shares with his fiancé in Hollywood on Saturday, but nobody answered the door.
Miramar police said that Hernandez was suspended without pay pending the outcome of this case.
Read the full arrest warrant below: