Southampton man arrested after being found unclothed in a car with a 14-year-old
Victor Elizade was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
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A 19-year-old man was arrested Saturday night after Southampton Town police say they found him unclothed inside a car with a 14-year-old girl in Riverside.
Police say officers were conducting extra patrols in the area when they approached a suspicious vehicle parked in the David Sarnoff Preserve around 9 p.m. Officers allegedly found Victor Elizade and the 14-year-old girl both unclothed inside the car.
“I don't get how people have that mindset, how they are attracted to children that young,” said Steven Smith of Farmingdale. "That's crazy that you go there to do something like that. Something so heinous. I don't even have the words to describe how disgusting that is.”
Elizade was taken into custody and brought to Hampton Bays police headquarters, where he was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
He was later released on a desk appearance ticket and is expected to appear in court at a later date.
The arrest has raised concerns among people in the community about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The charge against Elizade is a misdemeanor. But Laura Ahearn, CEO of the Crime Victims Center of Nassau & Suffolk, says it is too early to know whether additional charges could follow.
“This is very early in the investigation. Law enforcement has to do their interviews," Ahearn stated. "We don't know what exactly happened. We don't know if there were any hands-on sex crime. We don't know that yet."
Ahearn says a person can be charged with endangering the welfare of a child when their actions cause physical, mental or moral harm to someone under the age of 17.
She also says investigations like this can take time as police work to determine exactly what happened.
Ahearn encourages parents to remain vigilant about where their teenagers are going and who they are spending time with.
“I was taught not to do that when I was young. I have a daughter and I taught her the same thing when she was coming up," said Larry Burch of Flanders.
