A Lee County man received three life sentences after being found guilty of lewd or lascivious molestation and sexual battery on Monday.
Danny Vargas, 36, was convicted by a Lee County jury in August.
According to the State Attorney's Office, on March 2, 2020, a student who had run away from home told Lee County Sheriff’s Office school resource officers that they had been sexually abused at their home.
Another student told law enforcement that the victim had run away because a man, later identified as Danny Vargas, 36, wanted sexual favors from them after school.
The investigation revealed that Vargas, a relative of the victim, raped the child in Lee County from 2013 to 2019, according to court documents.
Fort Myers police found text messages showing Vargas had asked the child for sexual videos before they ran away. He also mentioned wanting to keep the interactions a secret.
Police arrested Vargas after he was found hiding under a bed in a home.
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