‘He needs to stay in jail’: OPD arrests man accused of sexually assaulting 16-year old girl

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - Ocala Police officers arrested Randy Owens, 46, who faces five counts of sexual assault on a minor.

It all began on May 15th when the mother of the victim reached out to officers suspecting Owens was involved in illegal sexual activity with her 16-year old daughter.

The mother told officers Owens was completing renovations on their home. Weeks ago, the mother said she caught her daughter alone with Owens in his vehicle.

“That’s when her suspicions were going up,” shared OPD spokesperson Jeff Walczak. “She started doing a little bit more research on Mr. Owens and found through the sheriffs office inmate search that Mr. Owens was arrested prior for contributing for delinquency of a minor.”

After interviews with OPD and Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, the victim admitted she and Owens had sexual relations and described it as “weird” and “unusual”.

“This is an example of an older person taking advantage of a young 16-year-old girl,” shared Walczak.

According to reports, the victim said the sexual activity between her and Owens happened for about five times. Some residents like Elizabeth Carnay are outraged about the incident.

“It hurts me, I feel for the family too because I know what it’s like,” shared Carnay. “They need to put him in jail. Keep him there and throw away the key!”

Carnay said her granddaughter was a victim of sexual assault in 2010 and made clear Owens should remain in jail.

Officials with Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection sent a statement to TV20.

Owens was located and arrested at the 14th Street Plaza in Ocala. He is being held at the Marion County Jail with no bond.

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