A man has been found guilty of sexual battery and kidnapping a woman after offering her a ride home from a club in Lee County.
In June 2023, the victim was leaving a club on Palm Beach Boulevard when Julio Enrique Velazquez, 26, offered her a ride in his truck.
According to the State Attorney's Office, she gave Velazquez her address, but as he was driving, she noticed he was not driving in the direction of her home.
The State Attorney's Office said he told her he was taking her to a "beautiful place."
Velazquez started driving fast and pulled off to a secluded wooded area in North Fort Myers.
He told her to get out of the car, and she found a glass beer bottle and broke it while warning him to stay away.
As she started to run away, Velazquez caught her, grabbed her by her hair, and pushed her to the ground.
According to the State Attroney's Office news release, Velazquez then started punching her and raped her.
She eventually got away, ran to a house, and knocked on the door for help. The resident, who didn't know her, called the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
LCSO then began their search for Velazquez. Deputies went to the club and used surveillance video to get more details on him and his truck.
According to the news release, a deputy found the truck off Ortiz Avenue and detained him.
Velazquez's sentencing is scheduled for June 16.
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