Wow. What Are These Parents Thinking?

Seriously...this is very scary to me.

A Lake Placid man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he had sex more than once with a 13-year-old girl, which led to her getting pregnant.

Pedro Valladares Martinez, 27, of Sudburry Drive, Lake Placid, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a victim 12 to 16 years of age.

He remained in the Highlands County Jail Friday under a $50,000 bond.

Law enforcement was alerted about the two after Highlands County Courthouse employees called and said the girl's family was trying to get a marriage license for her and Martinez, according to the Lake Placid Police Department.

"Interviews with the suspect and the victim found that sex occurred more than once at the victim's residence in Lake Placid, and resulted in the victim becoming pregnant," according to a press release.

Lake Placid Police Office Eddie San Miguel investigated the case and made the arrest.

I can't really understand how this 27 year old man was able to get this close to a 13 year old girl in the first place, let alone several times. Where were her parents? What did they think she was doing? Why weren't they following-up and being responsible for her? Sure kids are sneaky, daughters probably even more so, but I would think that if they were paying attention at all they would have at least expected something. My parents would have, and my life would have become much more home based and micromanaged by the parents for quite some time. Parents don't need proof after all.

Even if I ignore the above, and let the parents off the hook for not being active and present in their daughter's life, I still can't fathom why the parents wanted to marry their daughter to this man. How can this be okay in their minds? A girl who can't even legally drive, and probably isn't even in high school yet, married to a man who should be all accounts in prison for his relationship with this girl. Consensual or not, he is 27! He knows that this girl is a child.

There is nothing about this that is okay. Nothing at all. These are horrible, terrible, bad parents who are marring their daughter off to a man who is even worse...