Hawthorne man charged with attempted sexual battery and indecent exposure

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Roderas Eugene Rutledge, 54, was arrested early yesterday morning and charged with attempted sexual battery, indecent exposure, and burglary after allegedly trying to force a woman to have sex with him.

The victim told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that Rutledge entered her home uninvited and that she asked him to leave, but he refused. He allegedly grabbed her crotch over her clothes and dropped his pants and underwear, exposing himself to the victim and telling her she was going to have sex with him. The victim was able to escape and ask a friend to call 911.

Rutledge reportedly left the scene before law enforcement arrived, but a call was received about two hours later from the manager of the Shell station in Hawthorne about a man bothering customers. Deputies responded and arrested Rutledge as a suspect in the sexual battery incident.

Post Miranda, Rutledge reportedly admitted that he went to the home of the victim to use drugs and left when he saw a deputy because he was scared. He denied exposing himself to the victim, grabbing her, or trying to force her to have sex with him.

Rutledge was released from state prison in 2021 after serving a 15-year sentence for cocaine trafficking. He is also facing a sworn complaint for stalking an employee at a convenience store in Hawthorne. Bail information is not made public for sexual offenses.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • It would gave been something if the victim would have kicked him in the nuts hard enough to put them up in his throat. May think twice about forced sex. Another POS that needs to go to a blue state to live.

  • Yet another “upstanding citizen” from this group that predominates criminality. Ladies, we need to learn to shoot, and we need to carry and keep a gun near us especially at night if we live alone. Imagine waking up to this thing?

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