A 14-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly beating and raping a 91-year-old woman in her Central Florida home, authorities said Monday.
The shocking incident occurred in Reddick, a small town in Marion County some 90 miles north of Orlando.
On June 9, around midnight, the victim was asleep when she was “awakened to find a person sneaking through her home,” officials said.
She was then beaten and sexually battered, in what the Marion County Sheriff’s Office called a “cruel act of violence.”
The attack left the victim badly hurt, with bruises on her arms, face and chest, local Fox affiliate WOFL reported.
After analyzing DNA evidence collected from the scene, MCSO detectives identified the suspect as a 14-year-old boy.
When speaking with investigators, the young suspect reportedly admitted to “unlawfully entering the victim’s home, striking the victim, and then sexually battering her,” officials said.
The teen was arrested Monday on charges of sexual battery and burglary and was later transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
“This type of unimaginable violence is still shocking to me after all of my years in law enforcement,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said.
The teen, who reportedly lives in the area and frequently talks to the victim, could be charged as an adult, WESH reported,
He appeared in court in Ocala on Tuesday. His next court date is July 3.
