TAMPA, Fla. — A Broward County man was arrested and charged after authorities said he was with a 13-year-old Tampa Bay girl who went missing over the weekend after meeting him online.
According to CBS News affiliate WTSP in Tampa, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that Edward Rodriguez, 38, is now facing one count of interference with child custody.
HCSO also said Breanne Spivey, 13, returned to her Plant City home after leaving it between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Saturday. WTSP reported that Spivey was listed as an “endangered missing juvenile” and a missing child alert was activated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at the time of her disappearance.
During the investigation, Hillsborough County deputies told WTSP that they learned Spivey was in Broward County with Rodriguez, whom she allegedly met on the Internet.
With the help of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals, investigators found Spivey and took Rodriguez into custody.
“We are immensely grateful that this young girl has been found,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister in a statement to WTSP. “I want to extend my deepest thanks to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals for their quick and effective support. Our joint efforts have brought a young girl home to her family, and that is what truly matters.”
The circumstances surrounding how Spivey traveled to Broward County to meet Rodriguez have not yet been released.
