A 14-year-old boy was arrested Monday after he allegedly snuck into a 91-year-old Florida woman’s home and sexually battered her last week, deputies said.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred around midnight on June 9 in Reddick. Deputies said the woman woke up and found the boy inside her home.
Investigators said the boy had entered the home through an unlocked door.
He allegedly punched and groped her.
“In a cruel act of violence, she was beaten and sexually battered,” Sheriff Billy Woods said.The woman fought back and prayed for him to stop, and he eventually did.”
The boy appeared in an Ocala court Tuesday and learned he will be held in detention, NBC affiliate WESH reported.
“I told everyone last week that we would find the person responsible, and we have,” Woods said in a statement. “This type of unimaginable violence is still shocking to me after all of my years in law enforcement.”
The woman’s neighbor told investigators they had videos of the teen around the time of the attack. While the neighbor was talking to investigators, they saw the 14-year-old riding his bike, wearing the same clothes he appeared to be wearing when he was caught on video, WESH reported.
The sheriff’s office said DNA evidence and results from a rape kit helped identified the suspect.
“It’s a very meticulous, tedious process but a lot of agencies don’t have that resource. A lot of their DNA is sent off and the results take a long time. We don’t want that. We don’t want time with this person out there to potentially attack another victim,” Lieutenant Paul Bloom said.
During an interview, the boy admitted to entering the woman’s home and striking and sexually battering her, the sheriff’s office said.
“The Reddick community has shown its resilience and support for us and their community through all of this. I also want to thank all of the citizens that sent in tips and leads in this case.
It came as a shock that any individual would commit such an act on a 91-year-old, but it is truly disturbing when we see the young age of the arrestee,” Sheriff Woods added.
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“Although I firmly believe he should be held accountable for his crime, as a father, my compassion goes out to his family. Hopefully his arrest will lead to getting him help that prevents any further such acts.”
The 14-year-old, who is not being named due to his age and because he has not yet been charged as an adult, lives in the area and would “frequently talk to the woman,” according to reports. He was also at the woman’s home earlier that day.
The boy has been charged with sexual battery and burglary. His next court date is set for July 3.
