FORT MYERS, Fla. A 29-year-old man facing molestation and battery charges in connection with a missing Lee County girl received no bond Wednesday.
Jorge Guerrero faces charges of lewd or lascivious molestation and battery of a child — the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference Tuesday.
Guerrero is prohibited from having contact with Diana Alvarez’s family, and any minors, including his own children.
WINK News reporter Nicole Valdes joined WINK News anchor Corey Lazar in the studio to break down the charges and what they mean for the case.
Prosecutors were prohibited from mentioning Guerrero as a suspect to Diana Alvarez’s disappearance in the child porn trial, and the sheriff’s office likely did not want to bring these new charges until the trial and sentencing process was completed, Valdes said.
“They wanted to make sure (the sheriff’s office) had everything right, so I think the timing here was actually very strategic for them,” Valdes said.
Guerrero was sentenced Monday to 40 years in federal prison on Monday for producing and possessing pornographic images of the missing San Carlos Park girl.
Guerrero will remain in the Lee County Jail until trial for these new charges, investigators said. If convicted, he would first serve his sentence in state prison before being transferred to federal prison to serve his additional sentence.
Valdes stressed his new location inside the Lee County jail makes Guerrero more accessible to the overall Diana Alvarez case.
“The ball is in (the sheriff’s office’s) court now,” Valdes said. “They now have an opportunity that they didn’t have earlier in regards to dealing with those federal charges to hopefully bring some more answers, and I think that’s at the end what everyone wants, both investigators and the family, are answers.”
Guerrero’s next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 18.