DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach police are questioning more than a dozen people, including two sex offenders, at a nursing and rehabilitation facility following allegations of a sexual assault.
Police said they have been trying to investigate the claims that a 75-year-old woman with dementia was sexually assaulted since early July, but the staff at the Daytona Beach Health and Rehabilitation Center initially was uncooperative.
Investigators were finally allowed inside the facility and are in the process of questioning 18 people to find out exactly what happened. Channel 9 found out two of those people are registered sex offenders.
"If I expected something to happen at a place like this, I might as well expected it to happen at a preschool," said James Kaylor, whose family member lives at the facility.
Isaac Battles, 56, and John Lee, 58, have been identified by police as the sex offenders who are residents at the rehab facility. Battles was arrested in 1990 for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 12 and Lee was arrested in 1998 for the same crime.
Brandee Harrison told Eyewitness News her father is currently a resident at the facility that's located on 3rd Street.
"I'm actually looking for a new place for him to go now," said Harrison.
Police said the 75-year-old victim was taken to the hospital after she thought she was pregnant, but doctors discovered she had a sexually transmitted disease.
"As a community, we should be all tight-knit and know what's going on. So I believe if there's allegations, yeah it should be pursued," Kaylor said.
Officials at Daytona Beach Health and Rehabilitation Center released a statement to WFTV regarding the investigation:
"Daytona Beach Health and Rehabilitation Center continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation into this allegation. Thorough interviews were conducted over the past few days and any questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the Daytona Beach Police Department. We remain committed to the residents we serve and protecting their privacy as mandated under HIPPA state and federal law."
WFTV
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