Texas man accused of having sex with 16-year-old girl in Porterville

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man was arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an underage girl in Porterville. The suspect was identified as Nathaniel Hernandez, 20, of Lake Worth, Texas.

Porterville police say the 16-year-old girl and her mother contacted them early Saturday morning and reported the crime. Investigators say they learned the teen and suspect had been involved in an online relationship over the last year.

On July 10, Hernandez traveled from Texas to Porterville, where he rented a room at a Best Western hotel, according to authorities. "While there, he engaged in sexual intercourse and oral copulation with the juvenile victim multiple times over the past week," police stated in a news release.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the hotel room, where Hernandez was arrested. He was later booked into the Tulare County Jail and held on $25,000 bail.