A third arrest has been made in connection with the sex trafficking of a teen girl at a Miami hotel allegedly by a licensed mental health counselor, police said.
Hermes Mejia, 29, was arrested Thursday on charges of lewd and lascivious battery and lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child, records showed.
The arrest of Mejia follows the arrests of 45-year-old Maria Ximena Duarte and her boyfriend, 46-year-old Jason Mojica.
Duarte was arrested Sunday on human trafficking, lewd and lascivious battery and interference with custody charges in the case.
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Mojica is facing charges of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious battery and interference with custody, Miami-Dade Police officials said Wednesday.
According to police, Duarte a licensed mental health counselor, met the victim, a 15-year-old girl, as the teen was walking her dog in the pool area of the Aloft Miami Dadeland hotel on Aug. 13.
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Duarte be-friended the teen by gaining her trust as she identified herself as a psychologist, and the teen began sharing personal issues with her, police said.
Duarte allegedly offered the teen marijuana to smoke and alcoholic drinks. The teen accepted the marijuana but declined the alcohol, according to a police report.
Throughout the day and into the following day, police said the teen returned to the hotel several times to visit Duarte in her room, where she offered the teen more marijuana.
Duarte began taking pictures of the teen and sending them to a man later identified as Mejia, the arrest report said. Duarte allegedly told Mejia that the teen was 21 years old -- despite knowing she was only 15 -- and said she was willing to have sex with him; however, the teen said she didn't want to have sexual relations with anyone.
According to police, Mejia arrived at the hotel room anyway and proceeded to have sex with Duarte in front of the teen. Duarte even gave the teen a cellphone to record them and claimed she was teaching the teen, the report stated.
At one point, Durate insisted that the teen join her while performing oral sex on Mejia, and the teen did so against her will, the report said.
Police said Duarte's boyfriend, identified as Mojica, later entered the hotel room as well and Duarte ordered the teen to have sexual relations with Mojica before leaving the two in the room alone, despite the teen expressing that she was uncomfortable with the situation.
Duarte went as far as to push the 15-year-old back into the room and told her to "make Jason feel good," police said.
The teen told police she went into the bathroom and when she exited, Mojica was exposed and invited her to have sexual relations with him.
When she refused, the teen claimed Mojica grabbed her by the back of her head and neck, and tried to force her to perform oral sex on him, the report said.
The teen said she then found out that Duarte would often exchange sex for drugs, in order to satisfy her drug addictions, the police report stated.
On Sunday, a detective responded to the hotel and made contact with Duarte on an unrelated matter, the report said. She water later arrested and booked into jail.
Duarte went before a judge on Monday, where she was appointed a public defender and ordered held without bond.
During the hearing, Duarte became emotional.
"I'm a psychologist, I'm a PHD, I will lose my license and my life, I need help, I never even touched that girl," she said.
"The facts alleged in here are terrible facts," Judge Mindy Glazer said while holding the arrest report. "You're freaking out but you had no problem with the facts alleged in here, it's pretty awful, it's only probable cause, it's not the trial."
Mojica and Mejia were also booked into jail.
