Luis Mario Santizo Mendez, 18 | Miami Dade County Police
Luis Mario Santizo Mendez, 18 | Miami Dade County Police
A man has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a child after allegedly transporting a 14-year-old girl across state lines for the purpose of pursuing a sexual relationship.
Luis Mario Santizo Mendez, 18, was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on January 7.
According to The Tennessee Sun, Mendez’s arrest came after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) contacted the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) to report the missing 14-year-old.
After locating the pair in Homestead, Florida, investigators determined that Mendez had traveled from Florida to Georgia to pick up the girl.
Police said the two had been in communication for about five months, and Mendez allegedly admitted to having sexual intercourse with the minor.
Mendez, who works as a laborer, has been appointed a public defender after being ruled indigent.
He is being held without bond due to an immigration detainer issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and an out-of-state warrant, which may be related to additional crimes in Georgia.
Following his arrest, Libs of TikTok, a prominent social media account on X (formerly Twitter), highlighted the incident. The post received significant attention, with one user commenting, "Biden’s America. Deport all of these people," and another writing, "We need mass deportations now!"
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