Bradenton man charged with raping two children

A 36-year-old Bradenton man is facing three counts of capital sexual battery on a child under the age of 12, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say there are at least two victims. The ages at the time of the abuse and genders were redacted from the arrest report, but the children were under the age of 12 at the time Andrew Lydecker raped them, according to the warrant.

The first victim was sexually abused from December of 2010 until the end of 2011, according to the warrant. The second child was sexually assaulted over the course of two years beginning in 2016, the warrant states.

The first victim came forward after the second victim revealed the abuse to family members.

An investigation was launched in August by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office where the abuse was revealed to family, but the rapes occurred in Manatee County. The Manatee sheriff’s office took over the investigation in October.

An arrest warrant was issued April 1 and Lydecker was taken into custody on April 8. He was booked into the Manatee County jail on the three felony charges and remains in custody without bond.