COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — The Collier County Sheriff's Office arrested a 39-year-old man accused of strangling a 14-year-old boy over a stolen necklace.
According to court documents, the 14-year-old and a 15-year-old got into a fight at school on March 22. That's when the necklace was reportedly taken.
Documents say the 15-year-old boy went home before heading to the other teenager's house to get the necklace with Reynaldo Arriaga, the 15-year-old's family member and the suspect.
When they got to the home, Arriaga started knocking on the door. The 14-year-old told detectives he ran out the back door and hid in the backyard.
Arriaga went to the backyard, broke down a locked fence and started chasing the 14-year-old, according to documents.
During an interview with officials, the 14-year-old boy said Arriaga started choking him and told detectives, "I could not breathe that much."
The teen said Arriaga then started punching him. The 15-year-old boy was nearby and documents state Arriaga told him to "beat him up."
The 15-year-old did not get involved. While Arriaga was fighting with the 14-year-old, the teen punched him in the head.
That's when Arriaga took off. While he and the 15-year-old were leaving, documents say Arriaga threw a rock through the front window.
The mother of the 14-year-old called 911 and Arriaga was gone by the time deputies arrived. The Collier County Sheriff's Office interviewed the teens and investigated the incident through April.
On May 5, deputies met with Arriaga in a parking lot near Golden Gate Parkway and Collier Boulevard. The court document redacted what Arriaga said to detectives when they met him.
Arriaga was subsequently arrested on several charges including cruelty towards a child, burglary, criminal mischief and two other charges. He made his first court appearance on Friday afternoon. The judge set his bond and ordered him to not have contact with the teenagers. Arriaga will be back in court on May 31 for arraignment.
