A 45-year-old man was arrested and charged with molesting a 25-year-old mildly retarded girl from Crystal River on Monday by the Citrus County Sherriff’s Office.
According to the arrest report, the Citrus County man is a registered sex offender.
The arrest report shares that the girl’s brother caught the man on top of his sister with his pants down, while she was fully clothed. The girl verified the story when her mother questioned her.
The girl told the Citrus County Sherriff’s Office that this had happened three or four other times over the past few years.
After being read his rights, during questioning the man admitted what happened and that he knew the girl was mildly retarded. He confirmed that the incident had happened three times throughout the past couple years.
The man was arrested and transported to county jail on the charge of lewd and lascivious molestation. No bond was set.
The words lewd and lascivious both have the same meaning which is a lustful, wicked or sensual intent of the person committing a certain act. In this case the girl can be referred to as a “disabled adult,” which describes any person over the age of 18 that suffers from a physical or mental incapacitation due to a developmental disability. The facts that the girl is disabled, a sexual act occurred and that the man knew she was disabled are the three elements the State will have to prove to convict the man of a sex crime.
If you or a member of your family has been charged with a sex crime in Inverness or anywhere in the state of Florida, contact the Florida Sex Crimes Attorneys at the Law Offices of Whittel & Melton, LLC online or call 1-866-608-5LAW (5529) to obtain the best possible outcome for your case.