Deputies say she and the suspect had intercourse various times over several months.
By LOGAN NEILL
Published August 26, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - A 26-year-old Brooksville man was charged Tuesday with 20 counts of sexual battery on a 12-year-old girl.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office accused Eduardo Zavala, of 9030 Grande Av., of carrying on a sexual relationship with the girl shortly after the two met earlier this year. The victim told authorities that she and the suspect had intercourse numerous times over a period of several months.
According to authorities, the victim said she informed the suspect of her age, and both agreed to keep their relationship secret from her parents. The victim said that at one point the suspect asked her to marry him and return with him to Mexico, where he was born.
A witness provided printed copies of e-mails between the suspect and the victim that tended to confirm the relationship between the two, authorities said.
On Monday, written journals and a diary detailing the relationship were turned over to the Sheriff's Office.
Authorities suspect that Zavala, who works as a roofer, is possibly an illegal immigrant with no permanent ties to Hernando County or the United States.
Zavala was being held in the Hernando County Jail on $200,000 bail.
