Police: Child, 11, claims years of sexual abuse
An 11-year-old told a school counselor last month about having endured years of persistent sexual abuse from a caregiver, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office records say.
The alleged abuser — a 39-year-old man often trusted to care for the child and the child’s siblings — had been inappropriately touching the child since kindergarten, records said.
Leopoldo Flores Jr. of Port St. Lucie was arrested Oct. 27 on charges of child cruelty, obscene communication and public-order crimes. He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.
The child alleges that Flores’ physical abuse escalated over the years. In November 2016, with the permission of the child’s parents, Flores bought the child a cellphone, which he reportedly used to send the child sexually explicit messages and pictures through the application Snapchat. Messages sent on Snapchat delete after 10 seconds unless they are saved.
He instructed the child to send him similar pictures nearly every day.
The child’s parents explained to authorities that Flores often baby-sat their children.
He also would stay at their Palm Beach County home because he lived in Port St. Lucie but worked in Palm Beach Gardens.
Flores stayed with them for at least three days following Hurricane Irma, records said, because his home lost power.
The child didn’t report the abuse in part because of Flores’ threats, records said. He reportedly said that if the child’s parents found out, they’d send the child to boarding school.