APOPKA, Fla. — A 25-year-old Orange County man is accused of paying Uber to ferry an underage runaway from Texas to Apopka for sex.
- Richard Edward Brown is being held at Orange County Jail
- Police say he forcing sex on a juvenile from Texas
- Brown allegedly paid Uber to transport minor from San Antonio
Richard Edward Brown was arrested after the runaway took off from an Apopka house and called for help, Apopka Police say in an arrest affidavit.
Brown faces three charges of sexual battery on a child between the ages of 12 and 17, three counts of sexual activity with a child between the ages of 16 to 17, and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Police responded Wednesday to the area of Ustler Road and Wekiva Preserve Drive after getting a report of a possible missing juvenile. The child's gender was revealed in a redacted report provided by Apopka Police.
Brown kept the runaway for three nights in his room at the home of his parents and forced sex acts on the alleged victim, the police report said.
When the runaway asked to return to Texas, Brown said, "You owe me now for bringing you all the way out here."
The alleged victim from San Antonio could only leave Brown’s room when Brown went to the bathroom and when they went out to eat. The juvenile took off one night after Brown fell asleep, police said.
The juvenile told police that Brown has been chatting online on Instagram over the last three months. The juvenile said Brown told them he was 19 and Instagram-famous, and promised to be a caregiver.
Brown then paid for an Uber to take the juvenile from San Antonio to Baton Rouge, police said. Then, he provided an Uber from Baton Rouge to a residence somewhere near Ulster Road near Apopka for $822. The Uber fare was not disclosed for the previous leg of the journey.
Brown said he thought the alleged victim was 18 and needed a place to stay. He denied having sex with the juvenile and said he didn’t use drugs, as the juvenile claimed.
