“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,” said the sheriff, as the horrific details are revealed.
A 14-year-old from Florida has entered a guilty plea in a disturbing case involving the alleged assault of a 91-year-old woman.
Jesse Stone was arrested back in June for sexual assault by someone under 18 toward a victim over the age of 12 and burglary of a dwelling with battery. While he initially entered a not guilty plea, he reportedly changed that plea to guilty last week, according to court records via Law&Crime
Details of the Alleged Crime
According to the Marion County Sheriff‘s Office, the incident went down June 9, 2024, with the victim telling authorities she was “awakened to find a person sneaking through her home.”
“In a cruel act of violence, she was beaten and sexually battered by the suspect,” added the Sheriff, who identified the suspect as Stone. Per court records via Click Orlando, the victim said the suspect “pounced” on her and punched her in the face.
The docs reportedly state that Stone approached detectives while they were investigating the neighborhood, allegedly telling them that another neighbor had surveillance video and “found something” they should look at on it. The video allegedly showed a “figure” matching Stone’s physique jogging past the home, with Stone reportedly denying he was the person in the footage.
“Through the collection of DNA evidence, forensic investigators were able to positively identify the suspect” as Stone, said the sheriff. “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,” they added in a statement.
His sentencing hearing is set for December 19.
Per docs, Stone reportedly admitted to going into the victim’s home to watch pornography, before attacking her in her bedroom.
“I told everyone last week that we would find the person responsible, and we have,” said Marion County Sheriff Woods in a statement when Stone was arrested. “This type of unimaginable violence is still shocking to me after all of my years in law enforcement.”
“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,” added Woods. “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.”
The state attorney’s office tells Click Orlando they plan to charge Stone as an adult.