A man is facing serious charges after he allegedly molested a young girl at a Miami Springs hotel.
Miguel Enrique Marquez, 59, was arrested Sunday on one count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child and two counts of battery, according to an arrest report.
The alleged incident happened at a Red Roof Inn in the 3400 block of Northwest 42nd Avenue. The arrest report said Marquez is homeless, and NBC 6 has learned the hotel is a homeless quarantine and isolation site operated by the Homeless Trust of Miami-Dade.
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According to the report, Marquez is accused of inappropriately touching a 3-year-old girl while her mother was doing laundry on another floor of the hotel.
The victim's sibling was with her and also claimed Marquez pushed him and told him to shut up when he started crying, the report said.
Marquez denied touching the girl inappropriately but said he'd kissed her on the forehead for comfort after she and her sibling knocked on his door crying, the report said.
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Officials with the Homeless Trust said they do background checks on the people who stay in the hotel temporarily.
Marquez has a lengthy criminal history that includes burglary, theft and battery. Homeless Trust Chair Ron Book said Marquez didn't have any sex offender convictions.
"65% of the people that we serve have some kind of jail or prison encounter in their past. We know what the population is after 26 years," Book said. "We believe this is a unique situation. I've been the chairman of this body for 26 years. Nobody will ever accuse me of being soft on predators and offenders. Quite the opposite."
During a hearing Monday, a judge ordered Marquez held without bond. Attorney information wasn't available.
Homeless Trust officials said the mother and her children were moved to another location.
