Husband and Wife Charged with Unlawful Sexual Contact with a Minor
A Hillsborough County fire lieutenant and a former state attorney’s office employee have both been arrested and charged with unlawful sex with a minor, according to the state police. Deputies say that the couple, both of Riverview, forced a 16-year-old to engage in sexual acts on April 27. The arrest report says that the fire lieutenant directed the boy to perform different sexual acts on his wife. The incident occurred when the teen was staying over at the couple’s Riverview home.
Deputies have yet to say how the couple knew the teen, but they did say they knew each other before the incident took place in March. The sheriff’s office investigation began in April after the boy reported the crime to a trusted adult.
The case will be prosecuted in Polk County because one of the perpetrators is a former employee of the State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County. The fire lieutenant has been placed on administrative leave effective May 24 after the department was notified of a criminal investigation. The lieutenant was placed on administrative leave without pay, according to a county official.
Unlawful sex with a minor
Florida Statutes 794.05 defines the crime of unlawful sex with a minor. According to the statute:
Unlawful sexual activity with certain minors.—
(1) A person 24 years of age or older who engages in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years of age commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. As used in this section, “sexual activity” means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual activity does not include an act done for a bona fide medical purpose.
(2) The provisions of this section do not apply to a person 16 or 17 years of age who has had the disabilities of nonage removed under chapter 743.
(3) The victim’s prior sexual conduct is not a relevant issue in a prosecution under this section.
(4) If an offense under this section directly results in the victim giving birth to a child, paternity of that child shall be established as described in chapter 742. If it is determined that the offender is the father of the child, the offender must pay child support pursuant to the child support guidelines described in chapter 61.
In this case, the two perpetrators were 39 and 37 years old. So, because they are 24 years of age or older, and the victim was 16 or 17 years of age, they can be charged with the crime of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors. The crime is considered a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison.
Talk to a Tallahassee Sex Crimes Attorney Today
Tallahassee criminal defense lawyer Luke Newman, P.A. represents the interests of criminal defendants who have been charged with sex crimes. Call our office today to schedule a consultation and we can begin preparing your defense immediately.
Source:
wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/hillsborough-firefighter-ex-state-attorneys-office-employee-arrested-on-child-sex-crime-charges/
