SHERIFF’S OFFICE SOLVES YOUTH RUNAWAY CASE

  

With the help of the FBI and Texas Rangers, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has solved a runaway youth case from September.

Washington County Sheriff Otto Hanak reports that in September, his office received a report of a 14 year old female from Portland, Oregon that had run away from a relative’s residence while visiting near Brenham.  The reporting party advised that she and her stepdaughter had traveled to Washington County from Oregon for a wedding. The reporting party stated that upon their arrival, the juvenile was picked up by an individual whom she had met on the internet.

With a court order in place, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Mark Whidden was able to track the juvenile’s phone showing her location in the area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida before her phone was turned off permanently.  Lieutenant Whidden contacted the Texas Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigations Child Victims Unit for assistance.  Through an exhaustive and combined effort from the local agencies, along with multiple law enforcement agencies in Florida, the Juvenile was located and recovered in good health in Oakland Park, Florida on Monday December 6th.  An individual identified as 23 year old Carlos Yovani Martinez-Perez was arrested and taken into custody and charged with Interference with Custody of a Minor and Lewd Lascivious Act on a person 12 to 16 years of age.   He remains in custody at the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with no bond being set at this time. The child will be transferred back to her family in Oregon.