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Courtesy photo / Krirtophe Gonsaves allegedly stared down a 14-year-old girl and then fled in his van after she rejected his request for sex, which led to his arrest Thursday, Sheriff's officials said.DELTONA -- Volusia County Sheriff's investigators arrested a Deltona man this afternoon after he was accused of following a 14-year-old girl and propositioning her for sex.
Kristophe Gonsalves, 19, is facing felony charges of lewd or lascivious conduct, aggravated stalking of a minor and child abuse. Gonsalvez, who declined to talk to investigators after his arrest, will be booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach and held without bond, Sheriff's officials said.
The incident with the 14-year-old occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, as the girl was walking home from the library along Providence Boulevard in Deltona.
"The victim told deputies that a stranger walked by her, then turned around and came back to her and started walking alongside of the girl," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. "While he didn't touch her, the stranger started asking the girl personal questions, like where she lived, if she had a boyfriend and whether she had ever had sex before. The suspect then asked the girl if she wanted to 'get some.'"
He then told the girl where he lived and asked her if she wanted a ride, Davidson said, adding, when the girl said no, the suspect got into a green van parked nearby and drove off -- but not before driving past the girl one time and staring.
Upset and scared, the girl ran home and told her mother. The mother then contacted the Sheriff's Office to report the incident.
While following up on the case on Thursday, Sheriff's investigator Chastity Burke immediately recognized from previous contacts with the suspect that the girl's description of the man and his van seemed to match Gonsalves, Davidson said.
"So she put together a photo lineup, and the girl picked out Gonsalves," the Sheriff's spokesman said. "Another witness told investigators that once or twice a month, she sees a man in a green van stop, get out of his vehicle, walk around and try to pick up girls.
At 4:45 p.m. Thursday, investigators located Gonsalves at his house at 2820 Lake Helen-Osteen Road and took him into custody. Anyone with information about Gonsalves or other victims is asked to contact Sheriff's Investigator Chastity Burke at 386-860-7030.