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Federal marshals arrest Eastpoint man
A 62-year-old Eastpoint man was arrested at his North Bayshore Drive home Thursday morning on a St. Lucie County charge of sexual battery against a 10-year-old female member of his extended family.
Anthony Joseph Erario was taken into custody without incident May 14 by members of the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force. He remains in the county jail, where he awaits extradition to St. Lucie County.
The felony charge of capital sexual battery on a child under 12 carries a mandatory life sentence.
According to the warrant affidavit issued May 11 by Circuit Judge Dan Vaughn, of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court, the charge stems from incidents alleged to have taken place between Dec. 28, 2008 and Feb. 28, 2009 at the residence of a family member in St. Lucie County.
The girl's mother told an investigator with the Florida Department of Children and Families, and a sheriff's deputy, that her daughter woke up while sleeping on the couch, during a Dec. 28 overnight stay at a grandparent's home, to find Erario's hand underneath her pants on her private parts.
The warrant affidavit, drafted by detective Ronald Wentz, said the girl initially "did not believe this had happened to her" and told no one about the incident.
On Feb. 15, the girl said Erario hugged her from the back while the family was at the beach, putting his arms around her front and holding her against him. "The second time he did this, she took and forced his arms away from her," reads the affidavit.
Later that day, she once again slept on the couch at the residence, and woke up around 11:30 p.m. to find Erario "had his hand on the outside of her pants and was covering her crotch area. (He) told her she was just falling off the couch and he was catching her," according to the affidavit.
The girl called her mother to pick up her up and was upset, but did not explain why. The girl told investigators Erario had been drinking on both occasions.
Because the following Monday was President's Day, the girl went to work with her mother, and it was then she related the incidents. Since then, the girl's mother "has noticed a change in (the daughter's) normal pattern. She deleted (Erario's) phone number from her cell phone. She refused to sleep with the light out in her bedroom. She woke up one night screaming someone was on top of her. Other little things," reads the affidavit.
The deputy who first interviewed the girl told Wentz that "while I was talking to (her), I noticed she is a bright and smart child. She can express herself very well, and does not hesitate to talk about these incidents. We did not go into a lot of detail, as I believe she will respond better to a female investigator."
The girl was later interviewed by a female representative from St. Lucie County's Child Protection Team.
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| If found innocent, his life is still screwed. |
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| beltwayboy - Jun 01, 2009 07:11:48 AM | Remove Comment |
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| I do not know this man nor any of the facts surrounding the incident but I feel that unless and until someone is found guilty of a sex crime on a child, their name should be withheld. It doesnt matter now if he is guilty or innocent, this will follow him for the rest of his life. This sort of thing will ruin a person for the rest of their life even if it turns out to be a false accusation. |
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| CJ - May 29, 2009 06:33:54 PM | Remove Comment |
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| i have known this man for 25 yrs and i trust him with my kids and we talk all about the so call victum if this is fact or not. but if this is false think about it the man have this as a police record for his life as a sex offender, |
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| michael - May 26, 2009 03:45:06 PM | Remove Comment |
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| If he's already guilty, why talk about it at all. Where was he convicted? |
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| Bruce MacKinnon - May 25, 2009 08:49:46 AM | Remove Comment |
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| I disagree with the previous comment. The population of St. Lucie county is approx. 200,000 so its not likely that anyone will be able to identify this child. This sick pervert and all others like him need to be exposed. We must talk about these incidents because this kind of thing happens more than you can imagine. If we don't learn about the circumstances of these crimes then how can we know how to protect our own children? This child was not even safe at her Grandparents house. Most child molesters are friends or relatives of the victim or their family. We all need to take steps to protect our children. |
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| Susan - May 23, 2009 03:51:15 PM | Remove Comment |
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| Too much information given in the article. The 10 year old girl has been victimized enough without having the details of her sexual abuse published for public scrutiny. The criminal justice system will deal with the perpetrator and the media should keep quiet about details that cause more harm to the victim. Even though the girl's name was not used in the article, these are small communities where everyone is aware of family connections. |
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| Be Protective - May 22, 2009 11:56:34 AM | Remove Comment |
