Cops track down man who broke into Hobe Sound home assaulting teen girl who was inside alone
On January 26, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced the arrest of the man who broke into a locked home in Hobe Sound, Florida, and beat up a 17-year-old girl who was home alone – after that girl found the man in her living room rummaging through drawers and cabinets. The man who broke into the home on Friday afternoon around 2 p.m. by kicking in a rear entrance door was identified by the Sheriff’s Office as 42-year-old Antonio Amaya-Guevara.
Initially, the teenaged girl thought the intruder might be a friend of her father’s or perhaps someone he worked with – so she Facetimed her dad and showed him a picture of the man. But the father did not know this guy. Instead of locking herself in another room of the house though, the brave young lady followed the man through the house, taking more pictures of him with her cell phone until he exited the home.
Unfortunately, Amaya-Guevara, upon realizing the girl was taking his picture, turned on her, snatched her cell phone away from her and physically assaulted her, “beating the teen about the head and neck.” A witness who was nearby saw Amaya-Guevara attacking the girl and dialed 911. Officials credited the brave 17-year-old with helping them identify and track down her assailant.
“She is still on FaceTime with dad, snapping screenshots of the suspect as the suspect is leaving,” Martin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek said. “At some point, the suspect became more and more agitated.”
Deputies said she followed him down the road and that’s when investigators said he attacked her and took off. ~ WPTV
After law enforcement arrived at her Hobe Sound home, the teen was transported to the Jupiter Medical Center where she was treated for bruises and abrasions to her face and later released. MCSO detectives with the help of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security, were able to identify their suspect and tracked him down in Palm Beach County on the evening of January 26.
Antonio Amaya-Guevara is from Honduras and re-entered the United States illegally in 2023. He is being charged with occupied burglary, battery, robbery by sudden snatching, and child abuse. His bond will be $800,000 and he will have an immigration detainer, which is a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to local law enforcement to hold him until the he can be taken into federal immigration custody.
WPTV video: “Suspect arrested after 17-year-old girl attacked during home invasion in Martin County”
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(Source and all images: MCSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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