A 21-year-old man is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at his home in Leesburg.
Larry Eugene Riddle was arrested Monday and charged with sexual assault by an adult on a victim between 12 and 18 years old without violence. The incident allegedly occurred early April 1 in Riddle’s bedroom at 1805 Center St.
On April 5, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy contacted the Leesburg Police Department about a sex offense that happened in Leesburg. An officer met with the victim and her mother to get a verbal statement, and a forensic interview was arranged for April 7 at Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection in Ocala, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The victim told a case coordinator that she and Riddle shared the same friend group and saw each other frequently. She said she and a friend attended a party on March 31 at an unknown location. The victim said upon leaving the party, she and her friend went to Riddle’s house to spend the night. She said she and her friends would regularly attend parties and then spend the night with whichever friend was home, the report said.
The victim said they arrived at Riddle’s house around 2 a.m. April 1 and all three laid in Riddle’s bed, with Riddle in the middle. She said her friend fell asleep right away, and she and Riddle were laying on their sides, facing the same direction. The victim said Riddle was directly behind her, with his body touching hers, and he whispered in her ear asking if she wanted to have sex. She responded, “No, I’m not ready,” according to the report.
The victim said she and Riddle started to kiss. She then told the case manager that Riddle inserted his hand in her pants and tried to touch her vagina, and she pushed his hand away. The victim said Riddle grabbed her pants by the belt loop and pulled them down along with her underwear, and then he vaginally penetrated her with his penis, the report said.
The victim said she pulled away and then remained quiet and went to sleep after the encounter because she didn’t want anyone to know what happened. She said Riddle was gone when she awoke the following morning, according to the report.
Once the interview was over, the case coordinator confirmed the finding of sexual abuse. The officer tried to contact Riddle several times before finally reaching him. The officer asked Riddle to meet to give his side of the story. Riddle said he had to check his work schedule and would call the officer back, but he never did, the report said.
A warrant was issued and Riddle was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at around noon on April 25 in Fruitland Park. He was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released later in the day on $10,000 bond. Riddle will appear in Lake County Court on May 23.
