A man accused of sexually abusing a child for years in Brevard County is facing capital sexual battery charges and deportation.
- Man sexually battered girl for years, Cocoa Beach Police say
- Henry Jose Garcia is charged with capital sexual battery
- Now 18-year-old woman got pregnant at 15
Henry Jose Garcia, 40, stood before a judge Wednesday, accused of sexually abusing a girl for several years, eventually impregnating her.
The girl is now 18 years old.
According to Cocoa Police, the young woman came to the police department a week ago to report that Garcia started abusing her when she was 11 years old. The sexual abuse continued until she got pregnant with his child at the age of 15, police said.
After she legally became an adult and talked with family members, she made the decision to tell police about the fear and abuse she had experienced for four years.
"He was in a custodial position," Cocoa Police Det. Debra Titkanich said.
“She didn’t come forward until now because she was afraid.”
Detectives said Garcia would give her money and gifts in exchange for sex. They said he claimed bad things would happen to her family, including her mother — his girlfriend — if she didn't do what she was told.
"He also threatened violence against other family members if she didn't comply," Titkanich said.
Garcia worked at a Cocoa Beach resort and has worked in the United States under a work visa for 10 years, police said. The visa will soon expire.
He was attempting to get asylum in the U.S. but now faces life in prison and deportation. Police are in touch with immigration authorities, but his status for now is unclear.
"What he did to her is absolutely unacceptable and the worse kind of abuse you can imagine. It is something she will carry with her for the rest of her life," Titkanich said.
Garcia is being held without bond.