JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Jacksonville man in connection to the kidnapping of an eleven-year-old from Pasco County.
Jacksonville-native, Reginald Clark, 19, was one out of three men who were arrested this morning. Clark and 17-year-old Johnathan McGregor are being charged with interfering with child custody. The third man, 22-year-old Luis Alberto Encarnacion still has charges pending.
The statewide Amber Alert was issued Monday evening for the 11-year-old, and Sheriff Chris Nocco said that community tips quickly came pouring in. The girl was seen through surveillance footage inside a 7-Eleven on Moon Lake Road around 12:23 p.m. on Monday. She was seen briefly walking into the convenience store, a little over an hour after she had walked away from her school. The video shows her leaving the store when a vehicle pulls up. A man exits the passenger seat, and she gets in.
Nocco said the men who picked her up were Clark, and MacGregor. Police believe they drove her to a location in Tampa. The 11-year-old was later found at the Tampa home of Encarnacion.
Detectives believe she and Encarnacion came in contact through social media.
“In her mind, she thought Louis was her boyfriend. We all know that’s not real that an 11-year-old has a 22-year-old boyfriend,” Nocco said. “What is real is that Luis, this 22-year-old, acted like a predator on this little child.”
As of Tuesday morning, the girl remained in the custody of the sheriff’s office, and the agency was working with the state to find her a stable home. She was currently not living with any relatives.
“Her mom is in county jail. Her dad is nowhere in the picture. She has gone from one adverse childhood experience to another,” Nocco explained.
Cox Media Group
