Lexington County man accused of driving to Chicago to pick up underage girl

Deputies say Hector Leonel Lopez Nunez is accused of driving to Chicago to pick up an underage girl and bringing her back to SC. (Photo: Lexington County Sheriff’s Department)

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO)– Deputies say a Lexington County man is accused of driving to Chicago to pick up an underage girl and bringing her back to SC.

Hector Leonel Lopez-Nunez, 20, is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and misrepresenting his identity to law enforcement after picking up an underage girl in Chicago and bringing her to South Carolina, according to arrest warrants.

Chicago police tracked the 12-year-old girl to the 200 block of Stagecoach Road in Gaston, according to Sheriff Jay Koon.

“Based on what investigators have gone back to review as it relates to the suspect’s travels, he went to Chicago after meeting the girl online and promising to take her to another state to meet her father,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon says.

Sheriff Koon says the 12-year-old girl’s presence in the county was brought to the sheriff’s department’s attention on May 11 by the Chicago Police Department.

Lexington County Sheriff’s Department deputies were able to find the girl after a call from Chicago PD, and take her into emergency productive custody.

“We found her shortly after the call from Chicago PD and she was taken into emergency protective custody. At the same time, we had a detective searching for Lopez-Nunez. He was located and taken into custody,” says Sheriff Koon.

Lopez-Nunez who is a Gaston resident is also accused of inappropriately touching the girl while they were in his truck parked on Stagecoach Road.

Additionally, the sheriff’s department says Lopez-Nunez is accused of also providing deputies with an inaccurate date when asked for his date of birth which caused the misrepresenting identity charge.

Lopez-Nunez is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center.

The sheriff is reminding parents to monitor their children when they are online.

“These situations, while unfortunate, provide us with an opportunity to remind parents and guardians to monitor their child’s online activity. Whether it’s social media or gaming, those platforms can provide predators with access to your child,” Koon says.