Florida man accused of driving across Jasper County committing sexual battery
A Jacksonville man faces charges of criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, after Hardeeville police found him a car with his alleged victim.
Hardeeville police pulled over, Marlon Orlando Martinez-Norales, 38, on Highway 17 near Caterpillar Place, for a missing headlight on Oct. 7 at 12:15 a.m. Once stopped, the officer noticed that Martinez-Norales and an underage female passenger were partially dressed.
“The young lady looked like she was in distress, trying to signal to officers to help,” said Hardeeville Police Chief Sam Woodward. “Thank god my officer saw what he saw.”
It was determined that Marinez-Norales had taken her from her home and engaged in sexual battery with her multiple times throughout the county, threatened her with a gun and refused to let her leave his car, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said.
Woodward told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that he was unsure if Marinez-Norales had been living in the area before his arrest.
Because the sexual battery is alleged to have taken place throughout the county, the criminal sexual conduct charge is from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, while the kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges are from Hardeeville PD.
