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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ocala man with tainted past jailed after woman claims sexual assault in Orlando bar restroom

Alexander Cloud Stokes’ booking mugshot from Jan. 8 at the Orange County Jail

A 21-year-old Ocala man who was charged with exposing his sexual organs in Marion County last year found himself behind back bars earlier this month after a woman claimed he tried to sexually assault her in a bathroom at an Orlando bar.

Orlando Police officers responded to the bar on the night of Jan. 8 and while en route they were told that the suspect, later identified as Alexander Cloud Stokes, was being held down by employees of the bar, the name of which was redacted from a police report about the incident.

After placing him in handcuffs, officers reported that Stokes was “extremely intoxicated” due to the odor of alcohol coming from his body, glossy eyes, slurred speech and multiple attempts to stand up after he was told to remain seated.

The victim told officers she was at the bar with friends when she went to the women’s restroom alone. She said Stokes was in the restroom and he exposed himself and asked her, “You want to (expletive deleted) me?” She said she replied, “Hell (expletive deleted) no” and headed for the door to leave the restroom, the report says.

The woman said Stokes grabbed her from behind in a bear hug while placing his hand over her mouth and attempting to pull her into an open stall. She said she was able to break free and punched Stokes numerous times. She said he dropped to the ground and she attempted to flee again but was stopped when Stokes pushed the door shut, the report says.

The woman said she continued to hit Stokes and finally was able to open the door and run out into the bar. She said she started yelling “he tried to rape me” and pointed as the restroom as Stokes came back into the bar.

Alexander Stokes posted this photo on his Facebook page on Feb. 9, 2017.

A bartender told officers that he instructed one of his co-workers to stop Stokes while he dialed 911. But Stokes “pushed his way out of the bar” while yelling,

“You’ll never be able to prove (expletive deleted).” The bartender then started chasing Stokes as he ran north on South Orange Avenue toward East Central Boulevard and fell to the ground, causing lacerations to his face and hands.

The bartender said he got on top of Stokes to detain him. He said Stokes attempted to get up several times but “continuously fell due to being too intoxicated.” He added that Stokes attempted to “fight him off” but he was able to hold him down until officers arrived, the report says.

Stokes told officers he went to use the restroom and realized he was in the wrong one when the woman came in. He claimed he apologized and she started punching him and wouldn’t let him leave. He said he was finally able to leave the women’s restroom and ran down Orange Avenue after bar employees attempted to detain him.

Stokes, who lives at 6117 Pecan Course in Ocala, was transported to Orlando Police Headquarters to be interviewed by a detective and eventually taken to the Orange County Jail. He was charged with false imprisonment, battery and attempted sexual battery on a victim 12 years of age or older. He was released Jan. 11 on $10,250 bond and has asked to be represented by a public defender, claiming in Orange County Court paperwork that he makes $2,000 a month in income.

Alexander Stokes’ booking mugshot from Feb. 25, 2019 at the Marion County Jail

Stokes is no stranger to the legal system, having been arrested in Marion County in February 2019 and charged with exposure of sexual organs. He was released on $5,000 bond and entered into a pre-trial diversion program in an attempt to avoid jail time.

On Wednesday, the State Attorney’s office filed a motion to revoke Stokes’ bond and reopen that case following his latest arrest. He originally was represented by attorney Stacy Morris Youmans, who has since been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as a circuit judge in Ocala.

Youmans, who was known for taking high-profile cases, represented Angenette Marie Welk, a woman who became known worldwide for her grinning jail mugshot after causing a three-vehicle crash in May 2018 that eventually claimed the life of a Sarasota woman. Youmans also represented Brice Hall, who escaped jail time in a 2016 deadly beating of a man at Spanish Springs Town Square in The Villages.