Sheriff's Office Arrests Man Who Allegedly Had Sex With Minor

Detectives say they will arrest the victim's mother, who knew about the relationship

Osceola County Sheriff's officials have arrested an adult male who they say had sexual intercourse with another male under the age of 18.

Jose Alvarado, 45, was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery, two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with certain minors and one count of possession of child pornography. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail without bail.

In March 2024, Alvarado was identified as a suspect in an investigation into alleged sexual acts with a minor; detectives say Alvarado cooperated. Although Alvarado admitted to having sex with a man he met through the Grindr app, he said he believed the man was 18 at the time of the sexual acts.

Detectives say that during the investigation, it became clear that Alvarado knew or reasonably should have known that the victim was not an adult, according to a sheriff's report.

A search of Alvarado’s phone revealed child pornography, after which an arrest warrant was obtained. A traffic stop was then conducted, during which Alvarado was taken into custody on the aforementioned charges. During the stop, Alvarado was observed getting into his vehicle with another person in the passenger seat. Detectives say he explained that the passenger was his nephew, but the passenger was identified as a minor — not Alvarado’s nephew. The minor disclosed that he had sexual intercourse with Alvarado on at least two occasions.

According to the sheriff's report, the minor's mother was brought to the sheriff's office, where she stated she was aware of the relationship between the two. Upon further questioning, investigators say she refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Sheriff's officials say the mother is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for knowing and permitting her minor son to have a sexual relationship with an adult male over the age of 23.