Man Arrested at PortMiami After DNA Ties Him to Rape of 15-Year-Old in Flagler County

Date: October 20, 2026

Prepared by: Jake Arthur, Public Information Officer

Email: PIO@flaglersheriff.com

Release #: 2026 – 226

A man wanted by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office for raping a 15-year-old girl was arrested Monday at PortMiami by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

William Nikolas Moraitis, 20, of Bunnell, faces a charge of lewd or lascivious battery after an FCSO investigation and DNA evidence confirmed he raped the girl at her home in April 2025, when he was 18.

Mugshot of a young man with dark hair and a light mustache against a gray background

William Moraitis (Miami-Dade Jail Mugshot)

The investigation began on the morning of April 8, 2025, when the 15-year-old went to a School Resource Deputy and reported that Moraitis had sexually battered her a few hours earlier. She told detectives she had told Moraitis no when he asked to come over for sex, but he showed up anyway at her home unannounced around 1 a.m. Knowing he carried a gun, she felt she had to let him in through her window. She saw the gun in his waistband, though he never pulled it out. She told him no again; however, he did not stop.

Through investigative means, detectives determined Moraitis left his home in Bunnell at 12:45 a.m., arrived at the girl’s home at 1:07 a.m. and left 22 minutes later.

Moraitis knew how young the victim was. In August 2024, when the girl told him she was turning 15, he wrote back that he was “too old” for her and he would turn 18 in 12 days.

FCSO Crime Scene Investigators collected evidence from the home, and the girl underwent a forensic exam. In November 2025, FDLE confirmed that Moraitis’s DNA was on the victim.

After further investigation, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Moraitis for lewd or lascivious battery on a victim 12 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age on Oct. 12, 2026. On Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, CBP officers took him into custody at PortMiami.

“He knew her age but still climbed through her window while armed with a gun and demanding sex,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “This brave young lady went straight to her School Resource Deputy that same morning and reported what Moraitis did to her. This is why our School Resource Deputies are friends with our students, so they can feel comfortable talking to an SRD. The victim’s fast reporting, his DNA, and his own words helped prove this case. While he may have thought he was leaving the country on a trip, he only made it to the Miami seaport. His next excursion is to the Green Roof Inn.”

Moraitis is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Miami-Dade County Jail while he awaits extradition to Flagler County.

The post Man Arrested at PortMiami After DNA Ties Him to Rape of 15-Year-Old in Flagler County first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.