Goulds man sexually abused two girls living in foster care, Miami-Dade prosecutors say
A Goulds man is in jail after being charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing two girls who are in the foster care system, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors say 36-year-old Rodney Poucely had sex with a 14-year-old girl at a South Dade park and kidnapped and forced another girl, who was 13, to have sex with him inside his apartment, adding he “was fully aware of their ages” before committing the alleged acts.
In exchange for sex, Poucely gave the girls alcohol and marijuana, prosecutors say.
Cops arrested Poucely Tuesday and booked him into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on human trafficking, attempted sexual battery, kidnapping, promoting sexual performance by a child, lewd and lascivious conduct and interference with the custody of a minor.
The 14-year-old told investigators that she met Poucely at a nearby gas station months ago and that he knew she lived in a foster home and was a ward of the state, the State Attorney’s Office said in a statement Thursday.
“Poucely allegedly enticed the victim to go with him to a nearby park where they had sexual intercourse in exchange for marijuana,” State Attorney’s Office spokesman Ed Griffith said.
The 13-year-old girl told investigators that Poucely texted her and a friend, a minor also in foster care, and invited them to his apartment to smoke marijuana. He also told them he needed them to sell marijuana for him, Griffith said. Prosecutors did not say when this incident occurred.
The girls stayed at his home for several days, during which he gave her marijuana, wine and vodka, Griffith said. At first, the 13-year-old girl would not allow Poucely to grope her, but she told investigators that she witnessed him having sex with her friend, as well as a woman, Griffith said.
On the last day she was with him, she told investigators that Poucely locked her in a room and forced her to have sex with him, according to prosecutors.
“All of this allegedly occurred while the victim was under the influence of drugs and alcohol given to her by Poucely,” Griffith said.
As of Thursday, Poucely was being held in jail with bond yet to be set by a judge. Information on his legal representation was not immediately available.
“Those who seek to traffic our children often target kids placed into foster care. These individuals know that the trauma foster care children have usually experienced makes them easier to manipulate and control,” State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “Sadly, this case is a clear example of how such individuals operate.”
Poucely’s arrest history in Miami-Dade County includes convictions for misdemeanor battery and strong arm robbery in 2007, for which he was sentenced to probation in each case.
