Another One: College Prof, Ex-Dem Candidate Arrested After His DNA Found in 15-Year-Old's Rape Kit, Cops Say
A 46-year-old former professor at a Florida college and Democratic politician faces charges after an investigation into a July incident in which he was found with a 15-year-old girl at a hotel.
Richard Tapia of Palm Coast was initially arrested in July, after he was found at a Palm Coast hotel with a 15-year-old who had been listed as missing, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Offfice.
Tapia was charged with interference with child custody.
As September came to a close, the department announced that they re-arrested Tapia “on additional charges of lewd or lascivious battery on a minor after forensic testing confirmed his DNA was present in a sexual assault kit involving a missing 15-year-old child.”
Flagler County, Fla. — A leftist former Miami Dade College academic who previously ran to change the Republican-led state house of representatives has been arrested on suspicion of lewd or lascivious battery on a 15-year-old victim.
Richard Tapia, of Palm Coast, was accused by… pic.twitter.com/koyZDgmtfg
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) September 30, 2026
The July incident ended when the girl’s mother learned of her whereabouts and sent police to a hotel, where her daughter was with an adult male.
The girl tried to leave through a back stairwell, and Tapia left through the lobby. At that time, the girl claimed Tapia raped her multiple times.
“This mother’s determination helped us find her daughter which started the investigation on this pervert,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Our detectives followed the evidence and built a strong case against this predator who took advantage of a vulnerable child.”
The sheriff’s office said it is seeking to learn if there are more victims.
Tapia was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and held on $350,000 bond.
An August article from The Reporter, the student newspaper at Miami Dade College, said the college gave Tapia the axe after the first incident.
“The allegations are deeply disturbing and wholly inconsistent with the values and standards of our institution,” the college said in a statement.
Tapia ran for a Florida House seat in 2018 as a Democrat.
That makes him part of a long list of Democrats, including former Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, who have faced accusations of sexual misconduct.
Tapia had spent three years as an adjunct professor at the college before being named a professor of political science and international relations in 2013.
“The additional allegations are deeply troubling, and the conduct described is reprehensible,” the college said in a September statement after the additional charges, according to The Reporter.
This is the third arrest of an employee from the college in the past three months related to sexual crimes concerning minors.
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