Man arrested for allegedly molesting 12-year-old girl at Dolphin Mall movie theater
SWEETWATER — A man was arrested earlier this week for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl at a Miami-Dade movie theater.
Sweetwater Police arrested 22-year-old Omar Montalvo on one count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child 12-16 years old along with communicating with a minor in and out of a state to travel and meet.
According to the arrest affidavit, on the night of February 24, the victim, along with her mother and stepfather, came into the Sweetwater Police Department to file a sexual assault complaint.
The stepfather told police that earlier that evening, he dropped off the victim and her cousin at CMX Cinemas at the Dolphin Mall so they could see the 9 p.m. showing of the film "Madame Web."
During the movie, the cousin became "uncomfortable" seeing the interaction between the victim and a man she had just met — later identified as Montalvo. The cousin then messaged her father to tell him about the situation and then he told the victim's stepfather about what had happened.
A few days later, police interviewed the victim, who told them that they had been communicating with Montalvo over the phone and on social media for about a month.
According to the affidavit, the mother came into the interviewing room to show police a printout of a local news article from October 2019 that reported Montalvo being accused of stealing a University of Miami soccer player's book bag from the women's locker room, telling officers that he was the same man who her daughter was talking to and the victim went onto admit she lied about her age to see him.
The victim then said that she and her cousin met Montalvo at the theaters, who arrived wearing a "black mask" covering most of his head except for his eyes, nose and lips. When the victim questioned why he was wearing a mask, Montalvo said he "didn't want to be recognized" because he was "afraid of being jumped by rivals," the affidavit stated.
The victim continued, saying that Montalvo then kissed her during the movie, gave her hickeys, put his hand down her pants and molested her, along with pressuring her to commit oral sex.
After interviewing the victim's uncle — who confirmed details said by the victim and her cousin — police then searched the victim's phone and found messages between her and Montalvo, which showed explicit texts between him and the victim, along with photos of himself, the affidavit stated.
A few days later, police received surveillance video from a Dolphin Mall security officer that showed Montalvo entering and leaving the shopping center. Officers then interviewed the cousin, who confirmed the details of the incident and identified Montalvo in a photographic lineup. After interviewing the victim again and having her identify him in a photographic lineup, Montalvo was arrested on Thursday at a CVS, advised of his charges, and brought into custody.
After reading his Miranda rights and investigating his phone, Montalvo confessed to his actions and was formally charged and transported to Turner Knight Guilford Correctional Center.