Crime

He picked up a juvenile runaway, held her hostage and raped her, Manatee deputies say

A 32-year-old Bradenton man is being charged with forceful sexual assault with a weapon after taking a runaway child under the age of 16 to a motel room and holding her hostage for three days, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Genaro Ramirez-Casiano spotted the runaway at a local convenience store and offered her a ride.

When the teen entered the vehicle, she noticed a small child in the backseat, according to the arrest warrant.

Deputies say Ramirez-Casiano dropped the child off and took the teen to a local motel where she agreed to have sex for money.

After the encounter, Ramirez-Casiano refused to let her leave and spent the next three days raping the minor, according to the warrant.

On June 16, Ramirez-Casiano had to go to work, so he had a friend come to the hotel to keep the minor in the room. Deputies say the friend ultimately left and that’s when the juvenile made her escape.

The arrest warrant was issued June 23 and Ramirez-Casiano was located and arrested on Aug. 4.

Ramirez-Casiano was booked into the Manatee County jail where he remains in custody on a $100,000 bond pending a future court date.

MY
Mark Young
Bradenton Herald
Breaking News/Real Time Reporter Mark Young began his career in 1996 and has been with the Bradenton Herald since 2014. He has won more than a dozen awards over the years, including the coveted Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting from the Florida Press Club and for beat reporting from the Society for Professional Journalists to name a few. His reporting experience is as diverse as the communities he covers. Support my work with a digital subscription
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