A Tallahassee man has been charged with attempted sexual battery and kidnapping after police said he attacked a girl who was walking home after school.
Erick Sanudo, who recently was released from state prison, was booked into the Leon County jail without bail, according to court records.
According to the arrest reports, Tallahassee Police Department officers responded to a call around 2:30 p.m. on April 23.
Officers spoke with the teenage victim, who recounted how Sanudo had been hiding in some bushes along Orange Avenue as she walked and she was pulled in by him. He covered her mouth as he attempted to assault her.
She said he told her he had just gotten out of prison. State records show Sanudo, an alleged member of the Bloods street gang, served prison time for 2022 grand theft and burglary cases and was on supervised release.
The teen also gave the officers a description of Sanudo – saying in part that his eyes were “empty and soulless” – and that she would be able to identify him if she saw his face again.
As she worked to fight off her attacker, another man intervened and took the girl to her home, where they shared details with her family of what had just happened.
Officers located Sanudo around 3:30 p.m. later that day. In an interview with police, he admitted he was under the influence of a drug called “molly,” also known as MDMA or Ecstasy, during the attack. But soon, he grew frustrated with officers, denying committing the assault and soon stopped answering.
As of April 27, Sanudo had pleaded innocent to all charges.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TPD: Tallahassee man attacked girl walking home from school
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
