A Mascotte man was arrested for sexual battery after allegedly picking up a juvenile girl for sexual acts at a park.
An officer patrolling Marsh Memorial Park, located at 36545 Yale Retreat Rd., noticed a suspicious blue 2015 BMW parked and completely blacked out around 11:35 p.m., Sunday, April 26, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department. The officer shined a floodlight at the vehicle, seeing it moving and occupied by 22-year-old Malachy Ja’Eljah Roberts.
The officer then used a flashlight to get a better look inside the vehicle. As he got closer, he saw Roberts lying across the backseat as he pulled up his pants from his knees. He moved the light toward the front to see a girl pulling a gray sweatshirt over her head, the report said.
Roberts handed over his ID, but the girl stated she did not have one. She instead told law enforcement her name and birthdate, which revealed she was a minor, the report said.
More officers arrived on scene, with one of them detecting the smell of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. A pat-down of the juvenile victim yielded a vape on her person. She then explained how she met Roberts and why they were at the park, the report said.
Roberts had sent her a Snapchat message about a week before this. She ignored the message due to not knowing who he was, but then responded to a second message sent at 9 that night. The message was about finding out where they both lived, and when it was determined she was not far from him, she agreed to being picked up so they could hang out, the report said.
They drove around for a bit before deciding to stop at the park. Roberts gave the juvenile victim marijuana while they spoke in the front seat. He started to say he was cold and asked her to move over into the driver’s seat with him to keep him warm. She did as he asked and sat in his lap, the report said.
Roberts then became touchy, and she gave him oral sex. He moved her to the backseat and gave her oral sex, after which they had intercourse. At that point, they realized law enforcement was in the parking lot, the report said.
The report noted that the juvenile victim was not aware of Roberts’ age until after the police spoke to her. She did not fear for her life, nor did she feel forced to stay and perform sexual acts at any time.
Officers who spoke with Roberts learned he had marijuana in the vehicle. He indicated that he met the juvenile victim on Instagram, and they had been talking for about three weeks. They had three more interactions, one of which was during the day, the report said.
He knew her mother was really strict, but he stated he was unaware of her age because they did not talk about it. When asked about what the officer saw in the backseat, he claimed they were cuddling, the report said.
A later search of the vehicle revealed a small multicolored bag with 2 grams of marijuana. There was also a grinder, a THC vape and a pipe, the report said.
Roberts was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, delinquency of a minor and two counts of sexual battery (under 18 over 12). The native of the Virgin Islands was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $27,000 bond.