A 20-year-old West Palm Beach man is being held without bail in the Palm Beach County jail after detectives say he confessed to sexually abusing a child under 12 years old. Bernabe Mateo Sebastian, a Guatemalan national, was arrested last Saturday and now faces two counts of sexual battery on a person less than 12 years of age and one count of molestation of a victim less than 12 years of age.
According to WPBF 25 News, the case began when the child's mother told law enforcement she had noticed the victim acting unusually, per the police report. The child then told her mother that Mateo Sebastian had sexually abused her. The victim told detectives the abuse happened on October 7, explaining that she had felt sick and stayed home from school with Mateo Sebastian that day.
Per the police report cited by the station, the girl said Mateo Sebastian grabbed her in the kitchen and brought her to his room, where the assault occurred. The mother said Mateo Sebastian confessed to intercourse with the victim but denied it was forced, according to her account relayed to WPBF. Detectives say Mateo Sebastian also confessed to making sexual contact with the victim, per the police report.
Court Orders No Contact as Case Moves Forward
A court order issued Saturday bars Mateo Sebastian from contacting the victim or any witnesses in the case, the outlet reported. He remains held without bail in the Palm Beach County jail, per court documents cited by the station. The station also reported it had reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the West Palm Beach Police Department to confirm whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had placed a hold on Mateo Sebastian, and as of the station's report, it was still awaiting responses from both agencies.
Because the victim is under 12, the two sexual battery counts fall under Florida's capital felony statute, Florida Statute § 794.011(2)(a), which carries a statutory maximum of life imprisonment without parole, according to Rhoden Law Group. The molestation count is classified as a life felony under Florida Statute § 800.04(5), which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 25 years, per the Broward Criminal Team.
Florida Law Limits Early Release for Sexual Battery Convictions
Florida law also restricts any path to early release should Mateo Sebastian be convicted. The Junny Rios-Martinez, Jr. Act is codified at Florida Statute § 794.011(7)(c), and Florida Statute § 944.275 addresses gain-time. Individuals convicted of sexual battery are barred from receiving basic gain-time sentence reductions and must serve 100% of their imposed prison terms, according to the Sammis Law Firm.
Florida Senate Bill 168, enacted in 2019, requires all local law enforcement agencies and county sheriffs in the state, including the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, to honor federal immigration detainer requests and cooperate with ICE, per the Accurint Files. That statutory obligation is part of why an ICE hold, if confirmed, would factor into how long Mateo Sebastian remains in custody.
Victim Protections and Support Services
As the case proceeds through court, Florida's Rape Shield Law, Florida Statute § 794.022, strictly restricts evidence concerning a victim's prior sexual behavior or general reputation during judicial proceedings, according to Rhoden Law Group. Investigators working cases involving young victims typically rely on specialized forensic interview protocols; guidance from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention notes that such interviews are conducted in neutral settings using non-leading questions to yield legally admissible testimony.
Palm Beach County Victim Services and the Palm Beach County Rape Crisis Treatment Center offer hotline, advocacy and forensic services for victims. The Boynton Beach Police Department's second-quarter 2026 crime data also showed a 73% decrease in reported sexual battery offenses compared to the same period in 2025, alongside an overall 32% drop in violent crime in its jurisdiction.
The case adds to a string of recent child sex abuse prosecutions across Palm Beach County. Just days before Mateo Sebastian's arrest, a West Palm Beach man was sentenced to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to child molestation involving a victim under 12. The Legislature allocated $625,000 to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office this year specifically for forensic genetic testing and sexual assault evidence processing, according to FLSenate.gov.
