A Florida man is behind bars after a kidnapping attempt went sour and the child victim escaped from the man he met online.
Investigators say at approximately 8:10 p.m. on April 11, deputies responded to Spring Lake for a kidnapping call.
The family of the victim, who is under the age of 12, was chasing the suspect, who had the victim in his vehicle.
Deputies say the victim was able to get out of the vehicle and the suspect fled.
Allegations of sexual abuse were made and Highlands County Sheriff’s Office was informed the victim met the suspect online via the game Roblox and communicated with him via multiple online platforms (Roblox, Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, and TikTok).
The following day, the suspect was identified as 19-year-old Anthony Joshua Borgesano from Orlando and a warrant was obtained for his arrest for sexual battery of a child under 12 (a capital felony), kidnapping of a child under 13 (a life felony), traveling to meet a minor for sex, interference of child custody, child abuse, and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
Coordination with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office over the next two days led to the arrest of the suspect in Ocoee on Thursday.
After his arrest, he was booked into the Orange County jail and subsequently released to the custody of the Special Victims Unit for transport back to Highlands County.
He was booked into the Highlands County jail Thursday night. He was denied bond at his first appearance. The investigation is ongoing with the possibility of additional charges.
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