An Avon Park man remained in the Highlands County Jail Thursday under a $50,000 bond after his Tuesday arrest on allegations that he forced a 13-year-old girl to have sex with him.
Ricardo Barton, 19, of 1043 W. Palmetto St., Avon Park, was charged with a sex offense where the victim is between 12 and 15 years of age, a second-degree felony.
The case was brought to investigator Robert Livesay, with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office's Special Victims Unit on Oct. 14. The victim said she had become friends with Barton, who was 18 at the time of the incident, through her church and that relationship eventually became sexual, according to the arrest report.
On June 8, the girl said she was going for a walk, but met up with Barton and the two drove to the Sun 'n Lake subdivision, the report stated. The suspect allegedly had sexual intercourse with her at that time, despite her telling him several times to, "stop" and "I don't want to do this."
Barton finally stopped after she continued asking to do so, the report stated.
When he was interviewed by investigators, Barton initially denied knowing the girl, but then admitted he did, according to the report. He also denied forcing her to have sex.
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