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Man accused of groping Titusville woman, 62

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A disabled 62-year-old woman was trying to run an errand in Titusville when she was groped by a 27-year-old man, according to police.

Maurice Butler has been arrested numerous times in both Brevard and Volusia counties.

According to police, the victim was making the short walk from a bank to her high-rise assisted living facility when she encountered Butler.

Police said Buutler picked the woman's Indian River Avenue neighborhood to target and molest her.

The victim told police she was approached from behind. She said the suspect grabbed her breast and began grinding against her.

She was able to walk away before the suspect assaulted her again, police said. She didn't get a good look at him but an eyewitness driving by did, according to police.

"Anytime you have a crime that's witnessed by somebody who's competent to give you the information you're looking for, it makes it that much easier to find the suspect," said Sgt. Thomas House of the Titusville Police Department.

That eyewitness was a certified nursing assistant at the Titusville Towers, where the victim lives. The witness told police she took note of the assailant Friday afternoon.

Butler was found a short distance away from where the incident occurred. He's charged with lewd and lascivious acts on an elderly/disabled adult.

"It's too much of that going on, not just with the old people, but the young people, too," said Brevard County resident Tony Lodato.

Butler has a long history of arrests, ranging from battery to fleeing and eluding but no charges similar to those he was just charged with.

Titusville police said they believe it was an isolated incident.

Butler is being held in the Brevard County Jail on a $35,000 bond.