CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral Police (CCPD) said a homeless man in a wheelchair faces a felony charge for sexual abuse against a teenage girl.
Investigators said the crime took place just steps from Parkway Coronado, one of the busiest parts of the city. The incident happened at 820 SE 47th Ter. in Cape Coral near a bus station.
Police said 33-year-old George Garcia is the one behind the abuse.
“I’m a parent so it’s hard to hear those things," said Milena Weston, Community and Awareness Outreach Coordinator for the Children Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida. “It just hits a little harder at home because I have little ones and I want to protect them and not only them but other people’s children as well.”
CCPD said the 16-year-old was waiting at the bus stop when Garcia left the liquor store across the street. The two spotted each other and court documents state the teenager recognized him from before and talked to him.
"Less than 10 percent of the time is it actually a stranger that is abusing them, it’s usually a peer," said Alexandria Judge, the Community Outreach and Awareness Supervisor at the Children Advocacy Center.
After convincing the teen to drink whiskey, detectives said Garcia took the teen to Walgreens.
Court documents state that while the victim was lying on the ground, Garcia jumped out of his wheelchair on top of the teen and threatened to kill her if she screamed.
After that police said he sexually abused the victim before she could get away.
“I know it’s scary to do, being loud will detract someone from trying to abuse you," Judge said.
Judge and Weston both work for the Children Advocacy Center, the organization CCPD called after the arrest. Neither could talk directly about the case, but they did give advice to parents.
"There is power in numbers is definitely important," Judge said. "Also teaching children the right body parts for the parts that they have. You know not coming up with a cute nickname, and while it might be cute, you're not helping your kid at all because they need to know how to identify if something does happen to them."
“The good thing about technology is we have a lot of things we can utilize such as FaceTiming or even having GPS on your phone," Weston said. "For me personally with my kids, we have the air tags."
Judge added that children and teens should remember that "no" is a full sentence. She said it's important for every child and teen to have a safe adult to confide in, whether it's a parent, aunt, cousin or guidance counselor.
If abuse does happen, Judge said it's important for the adult to fully listen to them.
"No matter what, believe a child when they make an allegation, less than five percent of the time the allegation is false," Judge said. "Believe them and connect them to the right resources."
Garcia is facing a felony charge of sexual abuse and also a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
August 17, the CAC will host Darkness to Light, a free class for parents to teach them preventative measures for child sexual abuse.
Click here for more information.
