DELAND, FL – A DeLand resident, Derran L. Bibbs, 28, has been arrested following the sexual battery of a 14-year-old girl from Tampa. The two reportedly met on Snapchat.
Bibbs, residing at 426 N. Adelle Ave., DeLand, faces charges of sexual battery, kidnapping, and interference with child custody. The incident was reported to Volusia sheriff’s detectives on Monday.
The victim, who had been in communication with Bibbs on Snapchat, asked him to pick her up from a friend’s apartment in Tampa on Sunday night. Bibbs then drove her towards Volusia County. During the journey, the girl requested multiple times to be taken home or released from the car. Bibbs allegedly refused and later sexually assaulted her inside the car off I-4.
After the incident, the girl reached out to a friend, who alerted 911 in Volusia County. Law enforcement officers quickly located Bibbs’ vehicle on I-4, leading to his detention. The girl was found in the back seat and was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being reunited with a guardian.
Investigations reveal Bibbs had been posing as a 17-year-old in interactions with the victim and potentially others.