Girl went from Chicago to SC with man she met online, cops say. Now he’s in jail
A South Carolina man was arrested on multiple charges, including a sex crime, after he drove more than 800 miles to pick up a 12-year-old girl he met online and brought her back to the Palmetto State, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Hector Leonel Lopez-Nunez, 20, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and misrepresenting his identity to law enforcement, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
“He went to Chicago after meeting a girl online and promising to take her to another state to meet her father,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “The victim’s presence in our county was brought to our attention May 11 by the Chicago Police Department.”
Further information about the victim’s father was not available.
Chicago police tracked the girl to the 200 block of Stagecoach Road in Gaston, according to Koon. That’s in an area of Lexington County between U.S. 321 and Interstate 26, and it’s 863 miles from Chicago.
“We found her shortly after the call from Chicago PD and she was taken into emergency protective custody,” Koon said. “At the same time, we had a detective searching for Lopez-Nunez. He was located and taken into custody.”
Further information on the girl’s condition, and if she is still in South Carolina, was not available.
Lopez-Nunez, a Gaston resident, inappropriately touched the girl while they were in his truck parked on Stagecoach Road, according to Koon. Lopez-Nunez is accused of providing deputies with an inaccurate birthday, which prompted the misrepresenting identity charge.
“These situations, while unfortunate, provide us with an opportunity to remind parents and guardians to monitor their child’s online activity,” Koon said. “Whether it’s social media or gaming, those platforms can provide predators with access to your child.”
Lopez-Nunez is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center. Bond was denied on all three charges, jail records show.
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