A Broward County man stands accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl after pretending to be six years younger in Miami-Dade County.
The victim’s mother said Diego Manuel Gaspar pretended to be 16 years old when she and her daughter met him on Dec. 23 at Santa’s Enchanted Forest, according to the arrest report.
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After a mental health crisis, the 14-year-old girl told police officers that Gaspar, 22, of Pompano Beach, picked her up after she snuck out of her house in Miami-Dade, records show.
The teen admitted to getting into his 2023 Toyota Corolla and reported the sexual battery was in the back seat of his car in Miami Beach, and he took her back home at 3:30 a.m., records show.
The mother reported she knew something was wrong when her daughter was struggling with her mental health. The teen suffered from psychotic episodes and self-harm, and required treatment for depression and anxiety, according to the arrest warrant issued on March 28.
Miami Beach police officers arrested Gaspar and a judge ordered him to stay away from the victim on Wednesday. He is facing charges of lewd or lascivious battery and lewd and lascivious molestation of a child. His bond was set at $15,000.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Cristina Miranda was set to preside over the case.