Clay County Sex Crimes Investigation: Two Men Arrested on Kidnapping and Rape of a Minor Charges

Clay County Sheriff's Office

Press Release

A months long investigation has so far led to the arrest of two men who have been charged for travelling to Clay County to engage in the sexual misconduct with a local minor female.

Brandon Juarez Flores, 19 years of age from Tuckasegee, N.C., travelled to Clay County on three separate occasions over the past year and met with the minor female. As a result of his contacts with this minor, Flores has been arrested and charged with multiple felony crimes including First Degree Kidnapping, various Statutory Sex Offenses, and Rape of a Minor. Flores was taken into custody without incident on 06/25/26 by Officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Flores was transported to the Clay County Detention Center and held without a bond.

Mohammad Naweed Sadat, 19 years of age from Johnson City, TN, was also arrested on 06/25/26 by officials with the Johnson City, Tennessee Police Department. Sadat was an Afghan refugee legally residing within the country.  This investigation revealed that Sadat had travelled from the Johnson City/Bristol area to Clay County where he kidnapped the same minor female from her residence and engaged in sexual activities with her on five separate occasions. Like Flores, Sadat was charged with multiple counts of First Degree Kidnapping, Statutory Sexual Offenses, and Rape of a Minor. Sadat is expected to be transferred to the Clay County Detention Center in the coming days as officials navigate the extradition process.

This remains a very active ongoing investigation. Investigators with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to uncover additional subjects who have had contact with this minor female. It is anticipated that additional criminal charges will be forthcoming regarding other individuals.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank our partners from the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Johnson City Police Department. Our partnership with these law enforcement agencies during this investigation played a crucial role in bringing these offenders to justice.

Please know that the Clay County Sheriff’s Office will always put the safety of our children first and foremost. Even though this investigation was sadly begun after these crimes of sexual violence were believed to have occurred, holding those accountable might well prevent others from becoming victims in the future. These incidents, like many other incidents involving minors, often began within the depths of social media such as Snapchat.  As difficult as it may be, we all need to make every attempt possible to monitor what our youth are doing regarding the social media world.