Ohio man arrested for bringing runaway teen to Pinellas Park, engaging in sex acts

By Jamel Lanee' - News Channel 8


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PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WFLA) - An Ohio man is facing several lewd and lascivious battery charges after police caught him with a 15-year-old runaway at a Pinellas Park inn on Tuesday.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio contacted Pinellas Park Police Department with a tip that 31-year-old Raymond Curtis was in the area with the minor.

Investigators learned Curtis had driven a 15-year-old girl who is known to him from Ohio to Florida about a week ago. The two ended up staying in the Express Inn on US Highway 19 North in Pinellas Park.

Detectives say Curtis engaged in multiple sexual acts with the minor.

Investigators worked with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office to take the girl into protective custody until her parents could pick her up in Florida.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Ohio also obtained an arrest warrant for Curtis, charging him with interference with child custody.

As a result of the Pinellas Park Police criminal investigation, Curtis was charged with six counts of lewd & lascivious battery. He has been booked into the Pinellas County Jail.