A man was arrested after police say he raped a woman he met on Snapchat and other applications.
Michael A. Hernandez
On Monday, Gainesville Police charged Michael A. Hernandez, 38, of Lake City, with sexual battery after he talked to a woman over multiple phone apps, showed up to her apartment unannounced and raped her on Halloween, according to a press release. Authorities believe Hernandez may be involved in other reported and unreported rapes.
Hernandez first met and texted the woman through the social media website “Whisper,” according to police. The two stopped talking until Hernandez reached out to her on Snapchat but under the ruse of being a food deliverer for DoorDash, a food delivery app.
Police said she figured out the man contacting her on Snapchat was Hernandez, the same man talking to her on Whisper.
On Oct. 31, Hernandez showed up at the victim’s front door, according to the release. She let him into her apartment after he recounted conversations the two previously had on social media. She told police he attacked her once inside.
Hernandez showed up at her door unannounced on Monday, and the woman immediately called police, who figured out how to lure Hernandez to a place where police arrested him, according to the release.
Hernandez remains in the Alachua County jail on a $1 million bond. Anyone with information about the possibly related cases is encouraged to call 352-393-7665.
