Florida authorities have arrested a convicted sex offender in the death of a young Pensacola girl.
Naomi Jones, 12, disappeared on May 30. Her body was found Monday in a stream a few miles from her home.
Authorities announced the arrest Thursday morning of Robert Letroy Howard, 38.
Howard is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and failure to register as a sex offender, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
Deputies first made contact with Howard during a canvass of the victim’s neighborhood, Morgan said.
They learned he was a sex offender from Alabama who was visiting his girlfriend, who lived in the same apartment complex as the victim, and might have known the girl.
Howard lied to investigators about his whereabouts when the girl disappeared, Morgan said, telling deputies that he was in Alabama at the time she vanished.
Howard is a convicted felon who served 15 years for sexual assault and rape, authorities said.
His vehicle was also seen on surveillance video near the creek where Naomi’s body was found, Morgan said.
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