School Assignment Leads to Ocala Mans Arrest for Sex Abuse

A 59-year-old Ocala man recently released from prison was arrested Tuesday on a charge of sexual battery on a young girl.

An Ocala Police Department officer took a report nearly two months ago that apparently uncovered that a girl wrote an autobiographical essay as part of a school assignment that revealed she was sexually assaulted by a man known to her as “Ace.” The girl claims the incidents occurred in 2005 at her Ocala residence when she was around 5 or 6 years old.

A detective read the girl’s 13-page typed document detailing the alleged sexual abuse. The girl claims she also told two teachers about the molestation while she was attending school in Alachua County. The detective then interviewed the teachers, who both said the girl’s detail of the events seemed credible.

“Ace” was identified as the Ocala man that was arrested.

The detective interviewed the man on Tuesday. Reports indicate that he denied any inappropriate contact with the victim.

Police claim that a number of different factors, including that the alleged victim identifying the man from a line up, lead to the man being arrested and charged with capital sexual battery. He was taken to the Marion County Jail.

According to state records, the man has served time in prison since February 1987 for various offenses such as drug possession and carrying a concealed firearm. He was recently released in February.

Capital sexual battery involves a victim that is younger than 12 years old. If convicted of capital sexual battery in Florida, the judge is required to sentence you to life in prison without the possibility of probation or parole. While these charges are quite severe, just being accused does not mean you will be convicted. Even if the state attorney’s office has already filed a charge of capital sexual battery against you, there are circumstances that can result in a reduced charge or the case being dismissed entirely.

Many times people are wrongfully accused of sex crimes. Even worse, many people are wrongfully convicted of sex crimes and sentenced to many years in prison for crimes that they did not commit. At Whittel & Melton, our Florida Sex Crimes Lawyers understand that if you are charged with a sex crime you are facing very serious consequences, not to mention the severe damage to your reputation among friends, family and the rest of the community. Moreover, the registration requirements for sexual offenders are getting extremely tough, which is why sex crimes charges must be taken seriously. Sadly, anyone can be accused of committing a sex crime. More often than not, police choose to take the alleged victim’s word over the word of the accused. That is why you need an aggressive sex crimes defense lawyer fighting in your corner.

To learn more about how an Ocala Sex Crimes Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton can help you overcome a serious sex crimes accusation or charge, please call us today locally at 352-369-5334 or statewide and toll-free at 866-608-5529 for a free consultation. You can also contact us anytime online to request a complimentary case evaluation.