05-03-2025
Man, 70, living in a tent behind a Palm Coast gas station, accused of human trafficking
A 70-year-old man living in a tent behind a gas station in Palm Coast has been charged with human trafficking after peforming sexual acts on a 16-year-old girl, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office stated.
Jose Valerio-Rodriguez was arrested Monday and charged with human trafficking and unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, according to the charging affidavit.
The sheriff's office also stated Valerio-Rodriguez, a Cuban citizen, was in the United States illegally and will be deported.
The girl was reported missing Feb. 17 and returned home later that day. Deputies responded to her home and the girl told them she had met a homeless man named Jose who had performed a sexual act on her, the affidavit stated.
She said the man lived in a tent behind the Circle K at 1201 Palm Harbor Parkway in Palm Coast.
Major Case Unit Detective First Class Kathryn Gordon led investigation which also involved the Florida Department of Children and Families, an emergency forensic examination and an interview with the First Coast Child Protection Team.
The girl told investigators that she asked Valerio-Rodriguez in November or December to buy her a vape and he did, the affidavit stated.
She said she would visit him multiple times during the week to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and smoke marijuana with him, the affidavit stated.
Valerio-Rodriguez began kissing her and later became 'more touchy' with her.
When she ran away from home on Feb. 17 she went to Valerio-Rodriguez where she drank a lot of alcohol and became drunk, she said.
Valerio-Rodriguez then performed sex acts on her, the affidavit stated.
The girl called Valerio-Rodriguez while Gordon monitored the conversation during which they discuss their meetings. She tells him she is sorry she did not spend the night with him after they engaged in 'sexual stuff' and he responds not to worry, that he loves her, the affidavit states.
Deputies arrested Valerio-Rodriguez who denied knowing the girl. Deputies searched his tent where they found a small baggie of a leafy substance, mulitple bottles and cans of alcohol, and a vape pen. Deputies also found multiple firearms.
They also found a pair of female underwear in his pocket, the affidavit state.
Valerio-Rodriguez was being held without bond Wednesday at the Flagler County jail, which the sheriff calls 'the Green Roof Inn.'
Valerio-Rodriguez is a Cuban citizen and was in the United States illegally, according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which placed a detainer on him and found probable cause to deport him.
A Flagler County detention deputy, who was also a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Warrant Service Officer, served the detainer on Valerio-Rodriguez.
Valerio-Rodriguez will be transferred into DHS custody and deported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection when the local arrest is resolved through the courts.
'This predator was living in the country illegally and took advantage of a child,' Sheriff Rick Staly stated. 'He has earned himself not only a trip to the Green Roof Inn, but also a flight out of our country. The sheriffs of the State of Florida stand united against criminal aliens. We pray the child victim receives the help she will need from this attack.'
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Cuban man, 70, in Palm Coast illegally, accused of human trafficking
