SPRING HILL – A 16-year-old Springstead High School student is a suspect in a sexual assault and other actions at a convenience store, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in a video posted on Facebook.
While the sheriff identified the suspect and posted a photo of him, the Beacon’s policy is to not identify juveniles suspected of crimes.
Nienhuis said School Resource Officers who saw the photo identified him as a Springstead student.
The incident took place at a Circle K store at the intersection of Mariner Boulevard and Spring Hill Drive – also known as Four Corners -- early on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 25, the sheriff said.
At about 2 a.m. on Oct. 25, the sheriff’s office was notified of a “very serious incident,” and that they needed to respond though they weren’t told what the incident was. It turned out to be a “sexual battery,” Nienhuis said, and the attacker and victim did not know each other.
The suspect originally was just going to rob the victim, the sheriff said his staff found out, then decided to sexually assault the victim. The suspect left the store on foot but there were pictures of the suspect – albeit with his face covered-- and a gun in his possession.
A current and a previous school resource deputy who saw photos of the suspect said they were “100% sure” that he was a student at Springstead High School. That was about seven hours into the investigation, and the suspect was eventually taken into custody.
“That person has made some admissions to that crime,” Nienhuis said.
They also found some video of the suspect attempting to break into a vehicle, he said.
The SROs said they had previous interactions with the suspect and while he might have gotten in trouble before at school it wasn’t to the level of crimes.
His charges include aggravated assault with a firearm, attempted armed robbery, sexual battery with a deadly weapon, battery and attempted burglary of a conveyance.
Nienhuis asked that people who live in the area of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church and the Circle K at Four Corners check their cars if they had a firearm in the car to make sure it wasn’t stolen because the suspect might have been trying to break into cars and stole a gun, and such an incident has not yet been reported.
“We’re in the process of doing search warrants on the suspect’s house and collecting his DNA, and we’re confident that we have the correct individual,” the sheriff said.
If residents know someone who has a gun in their car they should tell the person to check their car to see if the gun is still in the car.