DESOTO COUNTY, Fla. — 26-year-old Robert Barrera is facing kidnapping charged after a family said he was in the woods with one of their young children, while they were camping at the Peace River Camp Ground in DeSoto County.
The arrest report states that the family was staying at this campground and while they were sitting around a fire with their kids playing close by, they noticed their daughter wasn't there. The DeSoto Sheriff's office says the family didn't know that the daughter had gone to sleep inside of a tent. They went looking for their daughter and did notice a man sitting with their other children but dismissed it as that just being one of their older children. They couldn't tell who it was because it was dark.
The police report then says the family's 8-year-old son began to help search for his sister, since he didn't realize she was sleeping in the tent. He took off with a flash light and headed towards the river. After the family found their daughter in the tent, they then could not find their 8-year-old son.
The father heard his son crying near the river and upon finding him, he also found Robert Barrera. The report said the father questioned Barrera and why he was there and why he was with his son. The father states in the report that he told Barrera to stay away from his family and proceeded to walk away. However, Barrera did not and instead, he proceeded to run into a tree where the father held him until police arrived.
Barrera was treated in the hospital for injuries sustained during the confrontation with the father and that he was just trying to "get away." He also went on to tell the police that he was not sitting with the children and was trying to help the 8-year-old when he saw him by the river with his flashlight. When questioned about his injuries at the hospital, Barrera stated he had got them from running into a tree; he had a bloody nose and bleeding around the eye. He also told police that his friends had pushed him off of a gold cart and got lost.
The 8-year-old boy told police that Barrera had followed him and grabbed him by the arm before trying to drag him towards the water.
Based on all the statements and evidence, the DeSoto Sheriff's office arrested Barrera and is being held without bond. He is facing kidnapping charges.
