Man arrested, accused of sex with Merced County teenager

A 15-year-old girl from Merced County was safe at home with her family Tuesday, two days after she was found in an Oakland hotel room with a 20-year-old man, the county Sheriff’s Office reported.

The man, Raad Abuanter Shami, was booked into Merced County Jail on a single felony count of child abduction. Shami, a citizen of Yemen who has been living legally in the United States for at least four years, remained in custody Tuesday with bail set at $100,000, authorities said.

The girl was reported missing and a possible runaway early Friday, Detective Sgt. Chuck Hale told the Sun-Star.

Detectives believe Shami and girl met through a smartphone social media app called Viber, which allows users to send free messages and make free phone calls to other users, deputies said.

“We believe the ease of communicating with someone over social media, coupled with manipulation, created a dangerous situation for the victim,” Hale said in a telephone interview.

Sheriff’s detectives tracked Shami and the girl to a hotel room in Fresno and then another in Oakland. Over the course of three days, deputies said, Shami and the girl committed “numerous inappropriate and unlawful sexual acts.”

They were found Sunday at a Hilton hotel in Oakland. Police in Oakland arrested Shami and turned the girl over to her family, Hale said.

Shami was taken to Merced County late Monday and booked into jail.

Investigators said Shami had a New York state identification card. He told detectives he was in the United States as a student.

“This ended in a positive way, but it could’ve been much worse,” Hale said. “It’s a reminder in general that parents should be aware of what their children are exposed to, particularly with any devices that connect to the World Wide Web.”

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Man arrested, accused of sex with Merced County teenager."