Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Digest
Sentencing Feb. 28 for man in sexual battery, burglary
By Times staff
Published January 21, 2007
SEXUAL BATTERY IS FLORIDA'S LEGAL TERM FOR RAPE. THIS LAWFUL EXPRESSION ALWAYS SEEMED TOO CIVILIZED FOR SUCH AN APPALLING CRIME. TO HELP THE PUBLIC BETTER COMPREHEND THESE HORRIBLE CRIMES AND OUR INVESTIGATION OF THEM, I AM PROVIDING A GLIMPSE INTO A RECENT INVESTIGATION. In October 2004, an 86-year-old woman was home alone in St. Petersburg when a stranger broke into her home and wrapped a towel around her head. He took money and forced her hand inside his pants. Investigators found a partial fingerprint at the scene of the "burglary with sexual overtones." But the print lacked enough detail. In December 2004, the stranger returned. He broke in about 4 a.m. The woman was awake and wearing a bathrobe. He wrapped a sheet around her head and raped her. He then took her money and left. Several weeks later, detectives arrested William Brooks, 49, on loitering and prowling charges after they found him looking into the victim's windows at 1 a.m. Sex Crimes Detective Pam Marland questioned him, but he denied involvement. However, fingerprint examiner Sarah Deubel was able to match the partial print found in the first burglary to Brooks. Later, Amy Rockhold, a crime analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, found blood on the victim's bathrobe that matched Brooks' DNA. On Jan. 9, Brooks was convicted of two counts of burglary battery and one count of sexual battery. He will be sentenced Feb. 28. William Proffitt, spokesman for the St. Petersburg Police Department.
[Last modified January 21, 2007, 07:44:55]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
