Police Say Man, 26, Enticed Girl, 14

A 26-year-old Hartford man allegedly had sexual contact with a 14-year-old West Hartford girl after starting a relationship on Facebook, said.

The sexual encounter occurred in April at Westfarms mall and on a city bus and was part of a nearly month-long relationship on Facebook, police said.

Ezequiel Escobosa of 18 Barbour St., Hartford, was arrested Tuesday at his home, police said. He was charged with illegal sexual contact with a minor under 16 and enticing a minor by computer to engage in sexual activity, both felonies. He also faces fourth-degree sexual assault, a Class A misdemeanor.

Escobosa was arraigned Wednesday in Hartford Superior Court and bail was set at $50,000.

Escobosa’s full bail was $70,000 because of an additional bond for an unrelated domestic violence incident in June 2010, according to court records.

The West Hartford teen and her mother came forward to authorities on May 12, police said.

In a court affidavit, Detective Gino Giansanti indicated the victim’s mother discovered the relationship on her daughter’s cellphone. Escobosa asked the West Hartford girl to be friends on Facebook in a message April 14, according to the affidavit. Escobosa and the victim allegedly had friends in common.

The victim told police she had daily chats with Escobosa on Facebook and they agreed to meet April 30 at the mall.

When questioned, Escobosa told detectives May 19 that he kissed the victim several times in secluded areas of stores while walking around the mall. He acknowledged more intimate contact that involved fondling when they rode home on a city bus. The victim got off the Hartford-bound bus near her home and Escobosa remained aboard, police said.

There was apparently one face-to-face encounter, police said. The victim told police that her Facebook conversations with Escobosa were lengthy and at times sexual.

Escobosa was scheduled for a plea hearing July 15.

In June last year, Escobosa was charged with unlawful restraint, disorderly conduct and harassment in connection with an incident involving a Garden Street woman, Hartford police said.

The woman, 25, who has a child with Escobosa, told Hartford police she was held against her will after trying to end the relationship. The woman received a court order of protection June 14, 2010, according to court records.

A protective order for the West Hartford victim was issued June 13.

Escobosa was being held at the Weston Street jail in Hartford, according to state Department of Correction.