COLLIER COUNTY, Florida – On Thursday, February 5, deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a suspicious incident reported near Lake Trafford Elementary School in Immokalee.
Around 3:08 p.m., a group of children told deputies they were walking home along Lake Trafford Road, just outside the school, when a man stepped out from behind bushes and offered them a bag of chips. According to the report, the man encouraged the children to come closer.
One of the children said they saw the man duck back behind the bushes and put on a ski mask. The children ran away, and the man briefly chased after them before turning around and leaving the area.
The children made it to safety and told an adult, who contacted law enforcement.
Thanks to a detailed description provided by the children, detectives were able to identify and locate a suspect. Nineteen-year-old Julian Valdez of Immokalee was arrested and charged with three counts of luring or enticing a child while wearing a mask and one count of wearing a mask on the street in connection with a public order crime.
Detectives located Valdez at his residence later that night, interviewed him, and took him into custody on the felony charges. Records show he was previously arrested in May 2025 for resisting arrest.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-252-9300. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.