A 45-year-old Ocala man was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman inside a truck parked on her property.
On Sunday, December 12, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes detective responded to an Ocala residence in reference to a sexual battery.
A female victim stated that she was sexually assaulted by a man later identified through a photo lineup as Joslyn Dean Courey Simms.
The victim stated that Simms arrived at her home on Saturday, December 11 at around 11 p.m. She only knew him as “Josh” and he was a friend of the victim’s deceased husband who had recently passed away from COVID-19 complications.
The previous day, on December 10, Simms had offered to landscape the victim’s front yard due to him trading off work with her deceased husband in the past. Despite telling him that she had no way to pay, he had proceeded to clean up her yard anyway.
When Simms arrived unannounced on Saturday, she opened her door and stepped onto the porch. Her babysitter and the babysitter’s sister were inside the house watching the victim’s children.
According to the victim, as soon as she walked out of the house, Simms pushed her against her door and began kissing her neck. He told her that it “felt nice” and she repeatedly asked him to stop.
Simms allegedly pulled her toward his truck which she described as an older black four-door truck with faded paint on the side near the driver’s door. He told her that he “needed her” and she could smell alcohol on his breath.
The victim feared that Simms would harm her children, so she did not scream or fight him. She recalled Simms lifting her shirt and bra, kissing her exposed breasts, and sliding his hand inside her underwear.
Her son stepped outside because he was hungry, and she stated that Simms yelled at her son to go back into the house.
Simms tried kissing her and she did not kiss him back. He then allegedly dragged her into the back of the house, exposed his genitals, and attempted to force her head down to perform a sexual act.
The victim managed to get away, ran inside the house, and called law enforcement.
She provided a detailed physical description of Simms to the detective and she was able to identify him in a photo lineup.
The detective interviewed Simms at the sheriff’s office. He admitted to being at the victim’s house earlier in the day, but he claimed to have spent the remainder of the day with his brother before he went home.
The MCSO report indicated that Simms changed his story and indicated that he wanted to talk to the victim about her landscaping. He denied sexually assaulting her.
When the detective collected Simms’ DNA to run a test, Simms admitted to kissing the victim and rubbing her vagina, but he denied having sexual intercourse with her.
Simms was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.
He is facing a felony charge for sexual battery and a court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on January 11, 2022, according to jail records.