A 56-year-old St. Cloud man is being held without bond at the Osceola County Jail after his arrest in a sexual battery case involving a minor. Ivan Oscar Martinez Garcia was arrested late Monday afternoon.
St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke said the department remains committed to thoroughly investigating crimes involving children, while confirming that no identifying details about the young victim will be released, in order to protect the child's privacy, per the same police statement.
The Charge
Martinez Garcia faces a charge of sexual battery on a minor, according to Osceola News-Gazette.
The charge remains an allegation at this stage.
Court Filing Status
The arrest warrant had not yet been filed in the court system by Monday night, as reported by Osceola News-Gazette.
Martinez Garcia was booked into the Osceola County Jail and is being held without bond.
An Active Investigation in a Growing Department
Police described the case as an active criminal investigation and asked anyone with additional information to contact Detective R. Turner or Detective J. Martinez with the St. Cloud Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit at 407-891-6779, referencing SCPD report #26-004466.
Separately, in July, St. Cloud Police arrested a suspect at a park following a monthlong undercover Internet Crimes Against Children operation targeting child exploitation. That earlier case is separate from Martinez Garcia's arrest.
How Child-Abuse Reports Are Referred
The Florida Department of Health lists any hotline report alleging sexual abuse of a child among those that must be referred to a Child Protection Team. Its guidance describes this referral requirement but does not provide an Osceola County investigation total or define an investigation count.
