Church Child Molester Serving Prison Sentence Under Sheriff's Office Detainer Amid GPD Warrant for New Charges
Gabriel Hemenez, who is serving a five-year prison sentence after taking a no-contest plea deal on child molestation charges, is currently under a detainer issued by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).
Hemenez is serving his sentence in the Lancaster Correctional Institution (LCI) of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC).
Hemenez sexually abused multiple children during the 2021 Ignite Summer Internship (ISI 21) at Ignite Life Center Church.
In March 2025, police pressed a new case against Hemenez for three more child molestation charges after another victim from ISI 21 came forward.
From March through June 2025, the only docket on Hemenez’s new case was his police report, along with a routine attorney email designation.
On July 25, 2025, a third docket was added titled "Defendant Information Sheet"; however, no warrant or formal filing of charges appears on the local court records website.
According to the FDC website, ACSO placed Hemenez under a detainer on July 29, 2025.
GnvInfo recently submitted a records request to ACSO for more information on Hemenez’s detainer, and an employee responded that he “has a warrant out of GPD.” The employee confirmed the warrant is in reference to Hemenez's new charges.
As part of the investigation into Hemenez’s new case, GPD Detective Desiree Russano interviewed him at LCI.
Russano reported that during her interview with Hemenez, she stated several times she believed he sexually abused the victim. “Not once does [Hemenez] stop [me], correct [me], or deny abusing the victim. Rather, [Hemenez] responds with the affirmative, ‘mm-hmm,’” Russano reported.
Hemenez went on to say, “I don’t remember,” regarding sexually abusing the victim, and that he was “87% to 97% sure that it didn’t happen.”
Hemenez reportedly told Russano he wants her to believe him because he “does not want to spend another day at Lancaster Work Camp.”
According to an FDC employee, Lancaster Work Camp is a facility located within LCI.
The FDC website states Hemenez is scheduled to be released in July 2028, but with an active warrant, he may be imprisoned much longer.
