Sexual Battery Sex Offender Accused of Inappropriately Touching Girl

A 37-year-old registered sex offender was arrested Wednesday evening for allegedly fondling a victim older than 12 at her St. Johns County, FL home.

According to reports, the man supposedly left the girl’s home before she told her father about the alleged incident; he then called the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.

The accused was supposedly brought in for questioning and then arrested. He was booked into the St. Johns County Jail for charges of sexual battery on a victim older than 12 with bail set at $250,000.

The man was released from prison in March after serving a three year term for failing to register as a sex offender that stemmed from a 1995 case.

The state of Florida can enforce serious penalties to those who commit new crimes after being recently released from prison. The Prison Release Re-Offender Statute enhances the penalties of felonies committed by a person within three years of their release from prison. In addition to making the ramifications for the re-offender more severe, 100 percent of the sentence for the new crime must be served; this means there is no eligibility for parole, control release or any form of early release from prison. PRR mandatory minimum sentences can range from five years behind bars all the way up to mandatory life imprisonment depending on the type of crime committed.

Contacting a Florida Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer following your arrest for a sex crime can be supremely valuable in regards to Prison Release Re-Offender consequences. In these types of cases, prosecutors are often reluctant to make a plea offer because they do not have the option to lessen the penalties. However, a skilled criminal defense attorney can argue that the unique facts associated with your case merit exclusive deliberation. The result of these considerations could end with the State deciding against formally filing charges.

The consequences for sexual battery in the state of Florida can be based on several factors such as the victim’s age, the age of the accused, whether the accused used any physical force that could result in serious personal injury and whether the accused used or threatened the use of a deadly weapon. Sexual battery punishments vary in degree from capital or life penalties to first, second or third degree felony penalties. A sexual battery conviction carries a potential prison sentence from anywhere between 10 years and Life in prison.

If you have been arrested for sexual battery under any circumstances in the state of Florida, contact the Florida Sex Crimes Defense Attorneys at Whittel & Melton online or dial us toll-free at 866-608-5529.