Deputies: Man molested boy after luring him with energy drink

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A homeless man was arrested in east Orange County after he held an 11-year-old boy captive in the woods, said deputies.

Investigators said the boy was walking through a neighborhood shortly before noon on Sunday and sat next to a canal just north of Vincent Road off of East Colonial Drive.

Cristobal Pinera sat next to him and started a conversation with the boy, deputies said.

Deputies said 36-year-old Pinera told them he bought the boy an energy drink and a beer for himself.

• Slideshow: Woods where police say boy was molested
• Map:  Woods where boy said incident happened

Investigators said the boy told them Pinera then grabbed his arm and pulled him into the woods.

According to a report, there was a blanket and pillow placed on the ground.

Pinera held the boy with one hand while he used his other hand to pull the boy's pants down and molest him, deputies said.

The boy was able to free himself and ran away.

Deputies said the boy then left the woods and saw a woman he knew at a gas station, who took him home, where authorities were called.

Marco Dempster said he didn't know the man he saw with his neighbor's 11-year-old son would soon be arrested for kidnapping and molesting the boy.

"I saw him with the guy at the store," Dempster said.

Investigators said they found Pinera near a dumpster about a block away and the boy identified him as the attacker.

"He was with this guy and the guy paid for his. [The boy] had an energy drink in his hand and the guy had a can of beer," said Dempster. "That was wild. I'd never seen all the police cars and dogs going around looking for this guy.

Pinera's attorney said there is no evidence.

"It's not there, just based on the sworn statement of an 11-year-old," said the attorney.

Pinera offered the 11-year-old $10 to not tell anyone, investigators said.

Pinera is being held at the Orange County jail on kidnapping, false imprisonment and molestation charges, according to the sheriff's office. He is being held on no bond.

Authorities said Pinera's immigration status is being investigated.

WFTV