infoFlorida man used fake Snapchat profile to meet and sexually batter a 13-year-old girl

Florida man used fake Snapchat profile to meet and sexually batter a 13-year-old girl

Joaquin Mendez, 29, has been charged with lewd or lascivious battery of a victim under 16.

The 13-year-old\u00e2\u0080\u0099s mother called police Friday afternoon after finding \u00e2\u0080\u009cconcerning text messages\u00e2\u0080\u009d on the girl\u00e2\u0080\u0099s phone during a routine check.

\u00e2\u0080\u009cThe victim told her mom she had met Mendez on Snapchat and had sex with him that morning after he picked her up in his vehicle and drove her to a wooded area,\u00e2\u0080\u009d.

\u00e2\u0080\u009cThe investigation revealed the Instagram and Snapchat accounts Mendez used to contact the victim displayed images of a young man who wasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t Mendez,\u00e2\u0080\u009d.

Deputies found Mendez\u00e2\u0080\u0099s vehicle later Friday afternoon and watched the house until detectives returned with a search and arrest warrant. He was taken into custody at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday and booked into the Volusia County Jail where he was being held on a $25,000 bond.