However, a third man ran up and pushed the suspect off of the girl. The girl ran home, at which time her mother called the police. At the time of the story, police had not yet been able to locate either the alleged suspect or the witnesses. Police are also unclear whether the men actually lived at the residence where they were seen sitting on the porch.
In Florida, the crime of sexual assault, or forced sexual contact, is a very serious offense — often constituting a felony. Although certain types of sexual assault are charged as misdemeanors, they may still carry imprisonment and require registration as a sex offender. In addition, the severity of the charge may be increased by factors such as repeat offenses or the young age of a victim.
One thing is certain: allegations involving a sex crime are extremely serious and seem to inevitably create prejudice against the accused. For that reason, those facing such sex crime charges will benefit from only the most capable of criminal defense lawyers. An aggressive criminal defense attorney will work with investigators, DNA experts, jury consultants and psychiatrists to mount a defense strategy aimed at mitigating the charges against you.
Source: wstp.com, “Police: Man tries abducting 13-year-old girl in St. Pete,” Nov. 15, 2012