Police in Florida have released surveillance footage apparently showing a 23-year-old man following a teen girl around a Daytona Beach Shores hotel before he allegedly tailed the girl to her room and raped her.
According to WKMG, Daytona Beach Beach Shores police released two videos they say catches Nelson Hernandez-Garcia stalking the 14-year-old victim from the pool deck, into the building, and then into the elevator. The pair doesn’t have contact nor spoke to one another in both videos.
The victim reportedly told police that Nelson had groped her in the elevator, prompting her to run to her hotel room. The girl was in the room when she heard footsteps and, thinking it was her parents, opened the door. It was then when Nelson allegedly forced his way into the room and raped her.
Police noted that there’s no video showing Nelson following the victim into her room because there aren’t surveillance cameras on that floor of the hotel, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
A police report obtained by the news outlet stated that Garcia told investigators that he thought it was “OK” to follow the teen because they “exchanged eye contact and smiles” at the pool. He also allegedly claimed he followed the teen because he “just wanted to get to know her.”
Police said they were able to make contact with Nelson because he put his phone number in the victim’s phone and called or texted himself. From there, he allegedly called and texted her multiple times in the hours following the assault. The teen responded via text, telling Nelson to leave her alone and that she’s 14, the news station reported.
The News-Journal reported that the 14-year-old wasn’t cooperative and refused to go to the hospital to get a rape kit. Police said her parents supported her decision, citing past trauma.
Despite this, detectives used the teen’s phone and instructed Nelson to meet them at the resort pool. He reportedly obliged and police took him into custody.
The Georgia man was charged with sexual battery of a victim 12 years old or older. He’s being held without bail.
[Featured image: CCTV]
