Fort Pierce man arrested on sexual battery charges involving 14-year-old, deputies say

ICE DETAINER | A Fort Pierce man is facing sexual battery charges involving a 14-year-old, according to deputies. CBS12's Jack Wu reports. A 36-year-old Fort Pierce man is in custody following a rapid investigation by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office into a pattern of inappropriate behavior with a 14-year-old girl.Juan Alberto Guandique Sanchez was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual battery on a victim between 12 and 18 years old. Sanchez also faces a violation of probation warrant from Martin County and is being held on a federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.The case began on July 6, 2026, when SLCSO patrol deputies responded to reports of alleged sexual activity between Sanchez and the 14-year-old girl. Criminal Investigations Division detectives immediately took over the case.St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro Jr. says the victim and the suspect met in the neighborhood where she lived."This individual obviously took advantage of that situation, preying on a 14-year-old victim. So, they did have a consensual type of encounter, and then it led to multiple messages and different things like that. They then coincided with the crime happening," said Del Toro Jr.Should crimes against children carry harsher penalties?Read more: https://cbs12.com/news/local/south-florida-treasure-coast-crime-news-deputies-arrest-a-fort-pierce-man-on-sexual-battery-charges-with-a-14-year-old-st-lucie-county-sheriffs-office-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-ice-detainer#BreakingNews, #FortPierce, #StLucieCounty, #CrimeNews, #Arrest, #TreasureCoast, #FloridaNews, #SheriffsOffice, #LocalNews_______________Stay up to date with our social media:WPEC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBS12News/WPEC on : https://x.com/cbs12Subscribe to WPEC on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsIzhRSKbRtvBGsiLHfcGOA/?sub_confirmation=1WPEC Daily News Digest: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoGNi-_QL0YEz2Pqv7Thy30ageLTzR6p_WPEC CBS12 is South Florida's source for local news, weather forecasts, sports and community events spanning West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Vero Beach, Okeechobee, along with the rest of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches. We are TheOneToTurnTo.For more information, visit https://cbs12.com/Have a tip? Email us at tips@cbs12.comCall the Newsroom: 561.844.1212Have a video or photo you want to share? Upload it to cbs12.com/chimein/WPEC is a FL based station and a CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.#CBS12NEWS #WPEC #WestPalmBeach #SouthFlorida #News #BreakingNews