A Miami-Dade Police lieutenant accused of molesting a young girl appeared before a judge Friday where he was ordered held without bond.
Lt. Braulio Francisco Gonzalez appeared in a prison outfit and handcuffs before Judge Renata Francis, who said he would be staying in jail for the time being.
Gonzalez, 44, was arrested Thursday afternoon at Miami-Dade Police's Special Response Team headquarters, where he works. He faces four counts of lewd and lascivious behavior on a child under the age of 12 and one count of armed kidnapping.
The officer is accused of fondling a girl when she was between the ages of 8 and ten years old. According to an arrest warrant, the minor, who is now 15, revealed to a psychologist last week that Gonzalez had touched her breasts and genital area over and underneath her clothing in a series of incidents that went on for two years starting in 2011.
The warrant also said the girl claimed that on one occasion Gonzalez put a gun to her head and threatened to pull the trigger if she did not accompany him into another room.
Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez, in an interview on WIOD Friday morning, said Gonzalez has been relieved of duty with pay but once the case is filed it will be without pay.
"Our investigators immediately began to look into it and we were able to corroborate some of the allegations. And you know, it's credible," Perez said. "I was briefed on this and hey, I can tell you that I am disturbed, saddened by being able to see some of the evidence in this case."
