Sweetwater man accused of raping teen boy after giving him meth

Juan Fernandez (MDCR)

SWEETWATER, Fla. – Authorities arrested a 50-year-old Sweetwater man on Tuesday after they said he raped a teenage boy a decade ago after meeting him online and plying him with hard drugs, including methamphetamines.

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Juan Rene Fernandez Jr. is facing three first-degree felony charges.

A Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office investigator wrote in an arrest report that Fernandez met the victim, then 14, in the summer of 2014 over the app Grindr, which is mainly used by gay and bisexual men.

The report states that the victim told investigators that Fernandez commented that the boy “looked really young” when they first met in July of that year. Authorities said the teen told Fernandez his age and Fernandez took him to his home on Southwest Fourth Street.

Authorities said Fernandez gave the boy meth through a pipe and put pornography on his television as the drug began to make the victim feel “uncomfortable.”

Fernandez asked the boy to touch his penis, which he did, and perform a sex act on him, which he declined, the report states.

Authorities said the two met two weeks later and Fernandez gave the teen meth, along with Xanax and date rape drug GHB.

Investigators said Fernandez told the boy to perform a sex act on him, asking, “Do you think what (you’re) smoking is free?”

The report states that the two would continue meeting over the next two years, Fernandez would give the boy drugs and sexually assault him. He also had cameras in his home, authorities said.

Investigators said that Fernandez would arrange to have other men come over for sex with the victim as well.

“Through investigative means, we were able to confirm (Fernandez) still has cameras in the home and continues to use methamphetamine in his home,” the report states. “(He) also continues to play pornography on (his TV) whenever consuming methamphetamine with men he meets on (Grindr) at his home.”

The report states that Sweetwater police arrested Fernandez Monday afternoon on charges of sexual battery of a physically helpless victim, lewd or lascivious battery on a child and sexual battery of a victim aged 12 to 17, along with a misdemeanor methamphetamine possession charge.

As of Thursday, he was being held without bond in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.


About the Author
Chris Gothner headshot

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.

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