TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Tallahassee man is behind bars after police say he let a runaway child stay with him for days without contacting their parents or law enforcement.
According to court documents, Tallahassee police responded to Killearn Center Boulevard in regards to a 13-year-old runaway, on June 30.
Police say a day before the incident, a witness saw the victim get in a car with a man that appeared to be in his 20's.
An acquaintance of the victim later told police that the child met the man on the social dating app, Grindr. The acquaintance also told police that the suspect had intentions of picking the victim up and keeping him for several days without consent from his parents.
On Monday, documents say officers discovered information about the missing juvenile being inside an apartment located on West Pensacola Street.
Police responded to the apartment and identified the suspect as 27-year-old Ryan Isom.
Officers say they read Isom his Miranda Rights and he agreed to speak with them about the incident.
Isom told police that he tried to get the victim to call his guardian several times and record their conversation, so he could gain evidence that he was being abused at home. However, the victim refused to do so.
Polices say Isom then spontaneously said he noticed that the victim was looking at himself on a missing juvenile flyer. Isom said he decided to take a closer look at the flyer and discovered that the victim was 13-years-old and not 16, as he had previously claimed.
Police say after Isom discovered that the victim was reported missing, he never made any attempts to contact law enforcement.
After speaking with Isom, police began interviewing the victim who was found at the apartment. The victim told police that Isom picked him up so he could stay with him for a few days.
Officers noticed several bruises on the victim's neck which he said had came from Isom kissing on him. The victim went on to tell police that Isom "did solicit him for sex but added it was okay if he said no."
According to documents, Isom was arrested and transported to the Leon County Detention Facility on Tuesday. He is being charged with harboring a minor runaway and soliciting a minor.
Isom is currently being held behind bars on a $10,000 bond.
