A 17-year-old girl who had been reported missing was discovered hiding in a closet at the home of a convicted sex offender in Florida, authorities announced on Tuesday. This discovery resulted in the arrest of the man on several charges.
Officers from Polk County were led to the residence of 30-year-old Alexis Diaz-Toledo on Monday following a tip-off from Orange County deputies. The information suggested that the runaway teenager might be with a man residing in Dundee, according to a statement from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially, Diaz-Toledo informed the investigators that he had not seen the girl for several days and claimed ignorance of her current location, the sheriff’s office reported.
The authorities mentioned that Diaz-Toledo also initially resisted allowing detectives to conduct a search of his property.
As a result of the investigation, Alexis Diaz-Toledo, 30, faced charges including two counts of failing to adhere to sex offender registration requirements, providing shelter to a minor without informing a parent, among others. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Detectives discovered that Diaz-Toledo violated his sex offender registration obligations by not reporting two vehicles that were being stored at his residence.
When investigators eventually searched his home, authorities said detectives found the missing girl hiding in a bedroom closet.
Polk County deputies got a tip from deputies in Orange County that a runaway teen might be at a home in the area, leading detectives to the home of Diaz-Toledo, authorities said. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office, File)
The teen was safely returned to her family, the sheriff’s office said, without elaborating on how she ended up at the home of Diaz-Toledo.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd underscored concerns about the suspect in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“A 30-year old male sex offender is not the kind of person you want giving a 17-year old girl a place to stay,” Judd said. “I can assure you that Alexis Diaz-Toledo did not have the missing juvenile’s best interests in mind. Suffice to say, we gave Alexis a place to stay for a while — at the Polk County Jail.”
Diaz-Toledo was arrested and charged with two counts of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements, interfering with custody of a minor, sheltering a minor without notifying a parent and providing false information to law enforcement during a missing person investigation.
The sheriff’s office said Diaz-Toledo has been a registered sex offender since a 2014 conviction for lewd and lascivious battery involving a minor. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office, File)
Diaz-Toledo remained in custody as of Wednesday, and was not eligible for bond, according to online jail records.
Diaz-Toledo has been a registered sex offender since a 2014 conviction for lewd and lascivious battery involving a minor between 12 and 15 years old, the sheriff’s office said.
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