This morning, Danny Vargas was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to life in prison on each of two counts of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation and on one count of Familial or Custodial Sexual Battery.
The defendant was convicted in August, following a jury trial in Lee County. Assistant State Attorney Anastasia Snetkova prosecuted the case.
The case started on March 2, 2020, when Lee County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers (SROs) helped find a student who had run away from home. After being located, the student told officers about sexual abuse that happened at home. The Fort Myers Police Department was contacted, as the residence was in their jurisdiction, and officers responded to the school to take over the investigation.
A second student reached out to law enforcement as well, after learning from the victim why they ran away. The victim told the other student that they ran away because the defendant said he wanted sexual favors from them after school.
The investigation revealed that the defendant engaged in sexual contact and sexual activity with the child victim between 2013 and 2019 in Lee County. Officers found text messages showing that the defendant messaged the victim immediately before the victim ran away, requesting sexual videos and asking to keep the interactions a secret.
When law enforcement officers went to arrest the defendant, he was found in a home, hiding under a bed.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director