JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Miami Dade College professor who allegedly picked up a 15-year-old girl in Jacksonville and drove her to Palm Coast has been rearrested on additional charges after DNA testing linked him to a sexual assault kit, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Richard Tapia, 46, of Palm Coast, faces three counts of lewd or lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 16 years old. A capias was issued Sept. 22, the sheriff’s office said.
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The case began July 22, when deputies responded to a Palm Coast hotel after the girl’s mother reported her runaway daughter was there with an adult man. Deputies found the girl leaving through a back stairwell and located Tapia as he exited the front lobby, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives determined Tapia met the girl through an online app, picked the girl up in Jacksonville and drove her to Palm Coast. The girl told deputies Tapia raped her multiple times at the hotel.
Deputies initially arrested Tapia on a charge of interference with child custody and then opened a sexual assault investigation.
Detectives analyzed Tapia’s cellphone, conducted forensic interviews and submitted a sexual assault kit to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Testing confirmed his DNA was present, the officials said.
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Tapia was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held on $350,000 bond.
“Our detectives followed the evidence and built a strong case against this predator who took advantage of a vulnerable child,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement provided by the office.
The sheriff’s office said it believes there may be other victims. Anyone with information about Tapia is asked to call 386-393-4911.
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