Florida teen, 14, arrested, accused of beating and raping 91-year-old neighbor

Yesterday, Florida’s Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) shared the very disturbing news of a local child accused of beating and raping a senior citizen.  According to the Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, June 9 around midnight, near the town of Reddick, the 91-year-old woman was awakened to find a person sneaking through her home.

In a cruel act of violence, the woman was beaten and sexually battered by the intruder. After law enforcement officials were contacted regarding the intrusion and following an investigation by Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) detectives, Jesse Stone, 14, was arrested on June 17 for the break-in and horrendous attack.  Clickorlando.com reported that a neighbor of the victim captured video footage of a figure that resembled Stone jogging in the area the night before the assault and shared that information with deputies as they were canvassing the area.

According to the arrest report, the teen knew the victim, as he would periodically stop by her home to talk with her. He stopped by and spoke to her on the porch hours before the attack, MCSO said. The victim said she was woken up near midnight and saw a “dark shadow” stooped over and coming down the hallway toward her bedroom. She said the victim “pounced” on top of her and struck her, then sexually assaulted her. ~ First Coast News

Prior to Stone’s arrest, Sheriff Billy Woods announced the attack on Facebook, described the brutal attack, shared the news regarding a reward for information, and asked the community to come forward with any information regarding the sexual assault.

Also yesterday, the Sheriff’s Office reported that through the collection of DNA evidence, forensic investigators were able to positively identify the suspect. During an interview with Detective Caitlin Hartigan, Jesse Stone admitted to unlawfully entering the victim’s home, striking the victim, and then sexually battering her.

MCSO Sheriff Woods said, “I told everyone last week that we would find the person responsible, and we have. I’m very proud of the hard work that my detectives and forensics team have done on this case to bring about a quick closure. This type of unimaginable violence is still shocking to me after all of my years in law enforcement. 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.

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.”

Following his arrest, Stone was delivered to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Video:

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(Source and Jesse Stone mugshot via Marion County Sheriff’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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