A Jacksonville firefighter has been arrested and charged for raping a minor in South Florida.
Ladarius Lane-Berry, 25, is charged with unlawful sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years old by a person older than 24, as well as traveling to meet with a child after luring them over the computer.
He is on administrative leave from his duties as a firefighter at the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
Berry allegedly added the victim on Facebook and began having conversations with her a year ago. The two talked about meeting up when Berry was in Dade County and conversations became sexual in nature, according to the Davie Police Department report.
Sometime in May 2015, Berry picked up the victim at her school and told her to get in the back seat and lay down. Berry got on top of the victim, trying to have sex with her, before she pushed him off and told him that she did not want to have sex and got out of the car.
Police say Berry made several apologies to the victim in social media posts, saying he wanted to treat her right.
Berry contacted the victim again in March 2016, and said he would drive her from the beach to her job, to which the victim eventually agreed. He then drove the victim to a Waffle House parking lot and raped the victim.
An address was given to Berry where he thought the victim would be waiting but was instead arrested by Davie Police Department officers on April 27.
Sign Up
