Police: Cape man sexually assaulted teen girl on island
A Cape Coral man sexually assaulted a teenage girl Saturday in a Captiva rental home that the two were cleaning, according to sheriff’s detectives.
Jose Mariano Sandoval Escobar, 38, of 1021 N.E. Fourth St., was booked Sunday into the Lee County Jail on charges of kidnapping and sexual battery of a victim between 12 and 18 years of age by a custodian.
He remained in jail on $100,000 bond Monday evening, according to booking records.
According to reports, Escobar and the victim were in a bedroom on the first floor of the home when he pushed her to the ground, dragged her into a closet and sexually assaulted her.
Escobar reportedly told the victim that he “loved and cared for her.”
The victim told a Child Advocacy Center case worker that she attempted to scream for help and tried to call for help on her cell phone, but the two were alone in the house and Escobar threw the phone out of the her reach.
The victim also attempted to escape by biting Escobar’s arm and shoulder, an arrest report states.
Escobar offered to buy the victim a pair of shoes and undergarments in exchange for her silence, she reportedly said.
Deputies located Escobar at the rental home, located in the 1500 block of Captiva Drive, and detained him for questioning.
He was later arrested on probable cause, detectives reported.