Peoria man harbored Montana girl for sex—while watching her missing person posters circulate online, cops say
Berk Robert Blenski (Maricopa County)
PEORIA, Ariz. - A 20-year-old Peoria man was arrested Tuesday after police say he flew a missing 16-year-old girl into Arizona, harbored her across multiple Valley locations and repeatedly had sex with her while ignoring court orders and hiding her from law enforcement.
What we know:
Berk Robert Blenski faces charges of custodial interference, violation of an injunction against harassment and three counts of sexual conduct with a minor. According to Maricopa County court documents, Blenski orchestrated the teenager's secret return from Montana in July, rented hotel rooms and housing to keep her hidden, and repeatedly lied to investigators as multi-agency search efforts were underway.
The backstory:
Investigators say the situation began in early July when Blenski bought a flight ticket for the 16-year-old girl to return to Phoenix from Montana against her parents' consent. The teenager, who has several diagnosed mental health conditions, initially told her parents that a friend named "Kendra" paid for the flight. Parents later discovered sexually explicit messages sent to the contact and suspected Blenski was using the alias.
After returning to Arizona, police say the teen snuck away from a home on July 20 and was formally reported missing to police. Parents later spotted the girl inside Blenski's car as it sped away from a Peoria home. When Peoria police questioned Blenski at the home that same day, he denied seeing the victim, though he later admitted to detectives that she was actively hiding inside the house during the officers' visit. Police served Blenski with a restraining order at that time, explicitly forbidding any contact with the minor.
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Despite the court order and missing person posters circulating on social media, Blenski admitted to driving the teenager to Mesa and paying a friend $800 to harbor her. Court records say he provided her with groceries, clothing and a dedicated cell phone configured to communicate exclusively through social media platforms.
The arrest:
Police found the teenager on Aug. 16 in Glendale after getting in contact with one of her friends. Detectives executed a search warrant on Aug. 18 and arrested Blenski while he was at work in Peoria. During a police interview after the arrest, Blenski reportedly admitted to having sex with the minor multiple times, buying the flight and hotel accommodations, and deceiving officers to conceal her whereabouts.
What's next:
Blenski remained in jail after a judge ordered a $100,000 bond on Wednesday. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 25.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Maricopa County Superior Court records.