Man arrested for following woman into Orange County apartment, trying to sexually attack her: deputies
ORLANDO, Fla. - A man has been arrested in connection to the Nov. 26 incident where he's accused of entering a woman's apartment and trying to sexually attack her, according to an update from the Orange County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.
Xavier Mendez, 31, was arrested and charged with attempted sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery after the incident that unfolded at the Mercury 3100 Apartments in Orlando last week.
Xavier Mendez (Photo credit: Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Shortly after 10 p.m., Mendez allegedly entered a woman's apartment as she was getting home from grabbing a bite to eat, threw her on a chair, onto the floor and attempted to remove her shorts, according to deputies. The woman was able to fight back by kicking at him and screaming, getting the attention of her roommate, who exited a room with a pair of scissors.
That's when Mendez, who is not a resident of the apartment complex, fled, according to deputies.
Man arrested for sexual attack at Orange County apartment linked to similar crime close by, deputies say
The man arrested in connection to an attempted sexual attack on Nov. 26 has a pattern of behavior, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The car he was in helped lead deputies to his identity after it was connected to pawn shop transactions, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. That led to a phone number for Mendez, which allowed deputies to track his phone's GPS data, which put him at Mercury 3100 on the night of the alleged attack.
"We want to thank the survivor in this case," the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. "Her bravery, willingness to cooperate with the investigation and attention to detail helped detectives solve this case."