'He ruined my life': West Palm man accused of years of sexual abuse

WEST PALM BEACH -- Suspicious of the relationship between her teenager and a 39-year-old man, a woman set up an audio recorder last month in her Port St. Lucie home.

She heard the man tell the teenager about pain in his genitals. The teenager later confided in her mother that the man had been sexually abusing her for more than a year.

In an interview with Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators, the teenager disclosed that the inappropriate behavior, in fact, had been happening for about five years while she lived near West Palm Beach.

Early Saturday, Vladimir Blanco Menendez was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on a charge of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The West Palm Beach resident is being held there in lieu of $75,000 bail. If released, he will be on in-house arrest, court records show.

The citizen of Cuba cannot leave the county as his case moves through the court system.

Blanco Menendez told authorities he had inappropriate conduct with the girl when she was 17. The girl told sheriff's authorities the abuse was more severe and had happened since she was 13.

He told her they would "run away together," records state.

The relationship between the teen and Blanco Menendez is redacted from sheriff's records, although it appears he was close with her family. It is unclear where in the county the abuse is alleged to have occurred.

As detectives listened on a telephone call between the girl and Blanco Menendez last month, they heard him question her about what her mother knew. She mentioned that she thought she may be pregnant, and he alluded to the inappropriate relationship between them, detectives noted.

He repeatedly expressed concerns that someone was listening to their conversation and stressed that he did not want to lose the relationship he had with his young child.

The age of consent in Florida is 18 years old, according to Florida Statutes. People between the ages of 16 and 17 can give consent to a partner up to the age of 23. Anyone 24 years old or older commits a felony if he or she engages in sexual activity with someone under the age of 18.

When detectives ended an interview last month with the teenager, they asked if she wanted pursue charges against Blanco Menendez. She did. The detective sympathized that the teen must be feeling overwhelmed.

She responded by saying she felt "hurt, because he ruined my life."

ohitchcock@pbpost.com

@ohitchcock

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