MANATEE — A Manatee man has been arrested on capital sexual battery charges after a 12-year-old girl reported to authorities the man had raped her several times.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested J.T. Hardy Hodges III, 41, after the girl said he had attacked her. The girl’s therapist reported the attacks after the girl described them during counseling, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s reports say the girl’s teenage brother also witnessed Hodges attacking his sister.
Hodges admitted to touching the girl, but denied raping her, according to the sheriff’s office. He was being held in the Manatee County jail without bond.
Sheriff’s office recovers stolen lawn equipment
MANATEE — A couple of pawn tickets and numerous pieces of lawn equipment were located after a Parrish company reported the theft of $40,000 in items, according to court records released Friday.
Green Briar Landscaping, 11850 U.S. 301, reported equipment and an Isuzu truck were stolen from the location sometime between Oct 30 and Nov. 2.
Deputies pulled over Gonzalo Pedraza driving a Ford Ranger, which was carrying seven backpack blowers, five pole hedge trimmers and five string trimmers after investigators obtained a search warrant. Pedraza was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
Employees at Green Briar confirmed some of the items were theirs after matching serial numbers, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Pedraza told investigators he got the lawn equipment from a man in Tampa, according to reports.
— Robert Napper and Beth Burger
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