An 18-year-old Ocala man was arrested the day after a youth pastor walked in on a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl in a church men’s bathroom.
Devon Donit Wright, of 1165 NW 105th Terrace, was charged Thursday with lewd or lascivious battery. He told a Marion County sheriff’s detective that he thought the victim was 15 years old and that he knew having sex with her was wrong, according to the sheriff’s office arrest affidavit.
The sheriff’s office was contacted Thursday by the victim’s parents, who said their daughter had disclosed to them that she had sexual intercourse on Wednesday with Wright, and that they were observed by a pastor getting dressed in the bathroom, the report said.
The victim was interviewed by a child advocate at Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, where she described the incident. She said she was planning to meet with Wright when she got to church, and that when she arrived, he took her by the hand to the men’s room. She provided a detailed account of having sexual relations with Wright. The victim said while they were in the bathroom stall, the youth pastor entered and observed her bra on the floor. She said she and Wright were later confronted by another pastor, and they admitted to having sex in the bathroom, according to the report.
The victim’s mother and stepfather told the detective that the victim had disclosed that the sexual intercourse was unprotected, the report said.
The youth pastor told the detective that Wright had been in the downstairs bathroom for a long time and he needed to use the restroom himself. He said when he entered the restroom, he observed a bra on the floor in the bathroom stall, which was picked up. The youth pastor said he didn’t know what was occurring and he waited outside for a moment before re-entering the bathroom, where he observed the stall door open with the victim pulling up her pants, the report said.
The youth pastor said the victim and Wright told him they were meeting in the men’s bathroom because she needed to tell a secret. The youth pastor said he was concerned about what he observed and reported the incident to the other pastor, according to the report.
The other pastor told the detective he first spoke with the victim, who denied anything sexual occurring. He then spoke with Wright, who admitted to having sexual intercourse with the victim, the report said.
Contacted by telephone, Wright agreed to meet with the detective at the sheriff’s office, where he allegedly admitted to having sexual relations with the victim. Wright was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Friday on $20,000 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on June 25.