A veteran Miramar Police captain was arrested Friday after he made a teen get naked to prove that she was not having sex in the back seat of a parked car, authorities said.
Capt. Juan de los Rios found a 15-year-old girl talking with a 19-year-old boy in the rear seat of a car in a Miramar industrial park on the afternoon of Jan. 18, according to his arrest affidavit.
De los Rios, 46, asked the girl if they had had sex in the car, authorities said. She told investigators that she said no, they were just talking, the office of Broward State Attorney Michael Satz said Friday.
But de los Rios, who has been on the Miramar Police force for 28 years, told her that she needed to remove her pants and underwear so if he could see if she’d had sex, authorities said.The fearful girl complied, and the police officer went on to “inspect” her with light from his flashlight and told her to pull down her blouse so he could check for “bruising,” the girl told police.
The officer then let them drive off, authorities said.
De los Rios turned himself in at the Broward County Main Jail on two counts of lewd or lascivious conduct Friday. It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
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The girl was initially scared to report what happened, but her older sister convinced her to tell their parents, and the family reported the incident to Miramar Police.
The charge de los Rios faces – lewd or lascivious conduct on a child under age 16 by someone over age 18 – is a second-degree felony that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
De los Rios was being held on $15,000 bond on each of the two counts at the jail Friday afternoon, according to online records.
Miramar residents said they were stunned by the incident involving de los Rios.
“She was probably so intimidated by this police officer to even think that she had to do that,” Josie Huff said. “It's disgusting. It's just unbelievable.”
