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Christopher F. Reteneller, a 41-year-old resident of Zephyrhills, finds himself facing serious legal troubles after being charged with seven felony counts involving illicit encounters with a 16-year-old girl from Gainesville. These charges stem from alleged meetings where the two engaged in sexual activities on more than one occasion.
The case came to light on April 7, when the girl bravely stepped forward to report the incidents. According to her account, Reteneller made two trips from Zephyrhills to Gainesville, specifically on March 29 and April 7, with the intent of meeting her for sexual purposes.
The teenager recounted that their acquaintance began on a chat website where they exchanged contact details and soon started communicating via text messages. The first encounter reportedly took place on March 29, when Reteneller traveled to Gainesville and met the girl at a bus stop close to her residence. He then took her to a McDonald’s, where he bought her food. Following this, they drove to an unspecified church parking lot, where the alleged sexual activity occurred after an initial kiss in his car.
The second meeting was said to have occurred on April 7, with Reteneller once again traveling to Gainesville to meet the girl. Similar to the previous encounter, they are alleged to have gone to another unknown church location, where further sexual activities took place.
On April 7, Reteneller reportedly drove to Gainesville again and picked up the victim near her home; he allegedly took the victim to an unknown church again, and they engaged in sexual activities.
Reteneller reportedly took the victim to Popeyes and bought her a sandwich, and then they went to Depot Park and walked on the trail before driving to TB McPherson, where Reteneller allegedly tried to have sexual intercourse with the victim in the bathroom, but it hurt her.
The victim said she asked him to stop, but he continued, and she tried multiple times to leave the bathroom, but he kept pulling her back; she eventually escaped and told Reteneller that she was 16 because she was upset that he had not stopped. The Gainesville Police Department officer who investigated the case noted that the victim looks younger than 16, “and any reasonable person would not believe that she was over the age of 18.” The victim said that when she told Reteneller her age, he said they would need to keep their relationship on the “down low.”
Reteneller allegedly drove the victim to an apartment complex near her house, which she was able to describe to the officer, and he again tried to have sexual intercourse with her. Next, he reportedly drove her to a gas station, where they got into the back seat of his car; he allegedly raped her while she repeatedly asked him to stop and tried to push him away, but he said he just wanted to finish.
After Reteneller drove the victim home, he reportedly sent her a text and told her he was sorry.
A medical exam reportedly showed that the victim had significant injuries that are consistent with sexual abuse.
The officer used Reteneller’s phone number and description to identify him, and traffic cameras reportedly showed that his vehicle was in the locations described by the victim at the time of the incidents; the officer noted that Reteneller has no ties to Gainesville, and his vehicle has not been seen on local traffic cameras except for those two dates.
Reteneller has been charged with four counts of sexual battery with a victim under 18, two counts of traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual contact, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device. He is being 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.