A Lehigh Acres man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the sexual assaults of a girl in Immokalee that took place for nearly two years, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

A warrant for the arrest of Juan Deandres, 31, was issued on March 26. He faces charges of lewd or lascivious battery engaging in sexual activity with a victim between the ages of 12 and 15 and unlawful sexual activity.

In October, the victim told a family member she was sexually assaulted by Deandres, a family friend, according to an affidavit for criminal offense filed within the 20th Judicial Circuit.

Deandres frequently did mechanic work on the victim’s family’s cars for free and in turn she and her mother would clean the suspect’s home and watch his children, according to the affidavit.

One day after school in January 2017, the victim was waiting for a friend to pick her up and began walking when Deandres pulled up and asked if she needed a ride. Since he was a family friend, she got in his van, according to the affidavit.

Deandres drove to a nearby park then pulled the victim into the back of the van and forcefully sexually assaulted her, according to the affidavit.

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Afterwards, Deandres threatened to do something to the victim’s parents or his own children if she told anyone about the assault. Then he dropped her off at a stop sign near her home, according to the affidavit.

The victim went inside and showered. When her mother asked her what was wrong, she said nothing because she feared Deandres, according to the affidavit.

The victim said she felt like she wanted to die, according to the affidavit.

Deandres forcing the victim to have sex with him became a regular occurrence, according to the affidavit.

He texted or called the victim and told her to make an excuse to her parents to go meet him, according to the affidavit. He would pick her up and sexually assault her in his vehicle or on the ground outside, according to the affidavit.

The sexual assaults continued from January 2017 until December 2018, according to the affidavit.

The victim disclosed the abuse to her mother a few days after running into the suspect at the flea market in October 2019, according to the affidavit.

Deandres was booked into the Naples Jail Center after his arrest Wednesday.