Greenacres man accused of sexually abusing child, 12

GREENACRES -- A monthslong investigation into a Greenacres man accused of inappropriately touching a young neighbor led to his arrest last week, records show.

Jose Rafael Rios, 40, was booked Thanksgiving evening into the Palm Beach County Jail on charges of lewd behavior with a minor. A judge ordered that he remain jailed without the possibility of posting bond.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators learned in March about the allegations of inappropriate behavior, records show. A 12-year-old told authorities about multiple instances over at least the past year in which Rios acted inappropriately toward the pre-teen. It appears that the child was friends with Rios' children and would visit Rios' home to play with them.

The first instance the child recalled was when that child and others were spending the night at Rios' home. Rios told some of the children to turn around and then exposed himself to the now-12-year-old, the child said.

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On other occasions, while the neighborhood children played hide-and-seek, Rios reportedly picked up the child and brought the child to a storage shed where he inappropriately touched the child and forced the child to touch him.

One time the child ran home from Rios' home to grab something. When the child returned to Rios' home, he stood in the doorway. He wouldn't let the child enter until he inappropriately touched the child.

Rios tried to give the child money after incidents of sexual abuse and told the child not to tell anyone.

During a call in May to which sheriff's deputies listened, Rios told the child that any time he exposed himself or inappropriately touched the child was an accident.

"I really apologize," he told the child when asked about him exposing himself. "I did something I should have not done and that should not have happened."

ohitchcock@pbpost.com

@ohitchcock

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