The Marion County Sheriff’s office arrested a Summerfield man after he claimed he was helping a teenage victim who was trying to run away before he allegedly molested her.
On April 5, 2021, 43-year-old Edson Fonseca Conde approached the victim and allowed her to use his cellphone. He then told the victim to get in his car and he would help her run away. Fonseca Conde then took the victim back to his home, located at 14080 SE 59th Court in Summerfield, took her into a camper on the property, began asking her questions and told the victim to hide in the back bedroom, according to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post about the incident.
Once inside the bedroom, Fonseca Conde molested the victim and attempted to remove her clothing. The victim was able to stop him and run away, still having Fonseca Conde’s cellphone in her possession. She returned home and notified her mother about the incident, who contacted law enforcement, according to the post.
The victim was unable to provide information about her attacker at the time. A major crimes detective found Fonseca Conde as the owner of the cell phone, according to the post.
The victim was able to confirm Fonseca Conde was the man who molested her, according to the post.
On June 4, Fonseca Conde responded to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and agreed to an interview about the incident, at which time the detective found probable cause and placed him under arrest for lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim between twelve and sixteen. He has a bond set at $10,000 with a court date set for July 6 at 9 a.m., jail records show.