A Panama City man who solicited a female juvenile for sex was found guilty as charged Tuesday and sentenced to 54 months in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford said.
A jury took about 10 minutes of deliberation to find Juan Montes Martinez, 50, guilty of Solicitation of a Minor for Sexual Conduct. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson adjudicated the defendant guilty and handed down the sentence.
Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called two witnesses – the victim and the responding Panama City Police Officer – to prove the defendant’s guilt.
RELATED: Hotel shooting leads to 20-year prison sentence
RELATED: Life sentence f0r man who sexually abused girl
The evidence included texts the defendant sent the victim in August 2024 offering to pay her weekly for sexual activity. The victim did not respond. The defendant next texted her to delete the previous message.
Instead, police were contacted.
The defendant has a lengthy arrest record over the last 20 years for crimes ranging from Battery to Aggravated Assault with a Weapon – with the latter landing him a 3-year prison term in 2012.
Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its work on the case, and the victim for coming forward and testifying.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.