TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A 19-year-old has been arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a sleeping juvenile.
Hakeem Tyresu Peterson, 19, was booked into the Leon County Detention Center on Tuesday.
On May 28, 2018, the victim disclosed to a Tallahassee Police Department investigator that she had been sexually battered within the last 24 hours.
Because the victim was under 18, documents say the Children's Advocacy Center interviewed her and conducted a Sexual Assault Evidence Kit to gather DNA evidence.
The victim told investigators she was asleep on a couch around midnight when she awoke to someone sexually assaulting her, court documents said. She said the suspect was on top of her, holding her hands above her head.
Despite the low lighting in the room, the victim said she recognized the suspect as Hakeem Peterson. The victim said she told Peterson to stop, but didn't comply and gripped her hands tighter.
He eventually stopped for an unknown reason and left.
When an investigator spoke to Peterson, he said he did not recall any physical contact with the victim but recalled his mother accusing him of sexually battering the minor.
Peterson said he suffers from mental health issues and has been told of other past incidents that he does not recall. He said those incidents happened after he went to sleep and he has no memory of them.
He said he did not know the name of his mental health disorder and was previously prescribed medication for the issue but does not currently take anything. Peterson also stated that he was admitted to the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Behavioral Center for treatment around March 2018.
Court documents say Peterson declined to let investigators collect a cheek swab from him.
The investigator wrote that the results of the sexual assault kit indicated that two different males contributed to the DNA collected from the victim. Based "on the fact of this case, there was reason to believe one of the male contributors was the suspect," the court document said.
On Sept. 28, 2018, a judge approved a search warrant to require Peterson to provide a cheek swab. A sample was collected from him and forwarded to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis.
"Hakeem Peterson is included as a possible contributor to the mixed DNA profiles ..." the court document said.
Based on the evidence, investigators found probable cause to charge Peterson with sexual assault/sexual battery on a person less than 18 years old.
No bond amount has been set for his charges.
