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A missing 17-year-old girl, who had been reported as a runaway, was discovered in the closet of a convicted sex offender in Florida, leading to the man’s arrest on several charges, authorities announced on Tuesday.
Detectives from Polk County arrived at the residence of 30-year-old Alexis Diaz-Toledo on Monday. This followed a tip-off from Orange County deputies who believed the runaway teenager might be staying with a man in Dundee, according to information from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially, Diaz-Toledo informed investigators that he had not seen the girl in several days and denied any knowledge of her current location, the sheriff’s office reported.
Furthermore, authorities stated that Diaz-Toledo was initially uncooperative, refusing to allow detectives to search his property.
As a result of the investigation, Alexis Diaz-Toledo was arrested and faces multiple charges, including two counts of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements, and sheltering a minor without notifying a parent, among other offenses, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives then determined Diaz-Toledo was in violation of his sex offender registration requirements for failing to report two vehicles being kept at his home.
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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