Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 26-year-old named McNish Mathis Tuzon Hampton was taken into custody this morning, facing charges of lewd or lascivious battery involving a minor under the age of 16.

On July 3, it was reported by the father of a 14-year-old girl from Hernando County that she had been missing since June 30. The last known location of her phone indicated it was at The Polos of Gainesville apartment complex (2330 SW Williston Road).

Officers from the Gainesville Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Hampton, which also included the missing girl and three other males as passengers.

The victim reportedly told an officer that she met Hampton on a dating app, and they communicated for about a day before he helped her sneak out of her house and drove her to Gainesville; she said she had been staying in the guest room of an apartment with Hampton, and they had sexual intercourse multiple times over the course of several days. She said she had told Hampton she was 18 years old.

In an interview with the Child Protection Team, the victim reportedly said she didn’t want to live with her father anymore, and she would run away again if she were returned to his home. She said Hampton had “smashed” her phone so she couldn’t be located and was reportedly adamant that she had destroyed Hampton’s life.

A medical assessment reportedly found that the victim had been sexually abused.

Post Miranda, Hampton reportedly said he had met the victim on a dating app and had agreed to help her sneak out of her house on June 30 because she said her father was going to kick her out of the house on July 4. He reportedly said he had driven the victim to The Polos and had had sex with her three times. He said she told him she was 18 and that she had showed him a Florida ID card, but the arresting officer reported that the victim denied showing him any ID.

The arresting officer noted, “The fact that [Hampton] didn’t know [the victim] was fourteen years of age doesn’t exempt him of committing the crime of Lewd and Lascivious Battery of a person under sixteen (16) years of age.”

Hampton has been charged with lewd and lascivious battery of a person under 16 years of age. He has no local criminal history; Judge David Kreider ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.