A jury in Orange County, Fla. has reached a verdict in the case of 26-year-old Stephen Bodley, finding him guilty of sexual battery on a child less than 12 by a person under 18.
Bodley confessed to committing a sexual assault on a young girl during a job interview at the Apopka Police Department in 2021. The victim, whose identity has been withheld, reported that the assaults took place on several occasions at Bodley’s residence.
A man from Florida has been found guilty of sexually abusing a child during his teenage years. He confessed to this crime during a police officer interview, according to authorities.
An Orange County jury has reached a verdict in the case of Stephen Bodley, 26, who has been found guilty of sexual battery on a child less than 12 by a person under 18. The verdict was announced on Wednesday, May 8, following a three-day trial, as stated in a press release from the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
In June 16, 2021, during a job interview at the Apopka Police Department, Bodley was requested to elaborate on certain answers he had given in a pre-test questionnaire, according to the release.
“I can’t remember but um, but what do you call it, yes, um, I used to um, play these little sexual games, like oral with my little [redacted] and I known she, she didn’t know fully what was going on, and I used to watch porn a lot, so I had like a little addiction when I was younger,” Bodley told a detective at the time, per the affidavit.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Bodley provided details about a disturbing incident involving a younger child that occurred in his home 10 years ago when he was 12 to 13 years old. He allegedly admitted to the incident again during questioning.
During the detective’s questioning, Bodley provided further details about the events, specifically mentioning his actions involving his genitals. He also referred to the initial occurrence as an unintended incident, as stated in the affidavit.
Following Bodley’s admission, the Apopka Police Department launched a criminal investigation, resulting in the identification of the victim and her mother.
During questioning, detectives informed the victim’s mother about Bodley’s admissions. She mentioned that she had known Bodley since he was a baby and had no suspicions about any relationship between him and her daughter, as stated in the affidavit.
The victim, when interviewed by detectives, became visibly emotional and stated she could not remember anything when asked about the sexual abuse, according to the affidavit.
The victim, whose age at the time and current age is redacted in the affidavit, stated that the incidents occurred multiple times on different days in Bodley’s room and that her memory of the events was fragmented.
According to the affidavit, the victim informed detectives that she was unsure of Bodley’s age when the assaults started, but she believed he was a teenager. Additional investigation uncovered that Bodley was in the 14 to 15 age range during that period.
As per the press release from prosecutors, Bodley testified during the trial and “denied sexually abusing the victim despite previously admitting to committing the crime on three separate occasions.”
Bodley’s court docket indicates that his sentencing is set for June 24.