FORT PIERCE — Fort Pierce police arrested a 51-year-old man following an investigation into a reported burglary that authorities say involved the restraint of children and lewd acts inside a home.
Officers said the case began when a 13-year-old boy reported that an unknown adult male broke into a home in the 2100 block of Avenue E, restrained him and his two younger sisters, and committed acts in a lewd and lascivious manner. The report was made over the holiday weekend.
In the days that followed, officers canvassed the neighborhood, conducted interviews and gathered evidence, police said. Investigators also relied on information provided by community members who came forward.
On Dec. 27, five days after the initial report, police received an anonymous tip that provided critical information about the suspect’s location. With assistance from the community, patrol officers located Antonio Zaid Diaz Alvarez in a vacant residence in the 400 block of North 14th Street and arrested him without incident, police said.
Authorities said Diaz Alvarez also has active warrants in St. Lucie County and Miami-Dade County. He was charged with kidnapping/false imprisonment, lewd and lascivious exhibition, lewd and lascivious molestation, and home invasion with a deadly weapon.
The Fort Pierce Police Department thanked the community for its assistance, noting that information provided by the public, including anonymous tips, can be critical in solving serious crimes.