Man arrested on rape charge after going to victim’s home to help her when she didn’t feel well

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Daniel Philip Sahmel, 39, was arrested yesterday and charged with sexual battery.

The victim told a Gainesville Police Department Officer that she told Sahmel by text message on September 2 that she wasn’t doing well and was under the influence of alcohol and prescription medication, including medical marijuana. She said that Sahmel knocked on her door, but she said she was fine and did not open the door. However, he reportedly stayed outside the door and told her to stop playing games until she opened the door.

After Sahmel entered the apartment, the victim, who has frequent seizures, had a seizure. Sahmel reportedly carried her to her bedroom and placed her on her bed. The victim said that he then got on top of her, kissed her, pinned her hands above her head, and raped her. She said she tried to get away and told him to stop, but he didn’t.

The victim said she believes she had another seizure while they were in the bedroom because the room was spinning and she felt disoriented.

The victim said that Sahmel asked her to delete their text messages after he raped her and she refused, so he picked up her phone and forced her to use her fingerprint to unlock it and delete the messages. He then left the apartment.

The victim called a witness after the alleged rape, and the witness said the victim said she was raped and that she sounded “very disoriented.”

An officer stopped Sahmel’s car on October 5 and arrested him. Post Miranda, Sahmel reportedly initially claimed that he knew the victim but hadn’t spoken to her in months. When confronted with license plate reader history showing his car traveling in the direction of her apartment and Ring camera footage at her front door, he reportedly changed his story. He reportedly said the victim texted him that she was going to hurt herself, so he went to her apartment to help her. The officer wrote that Sahmel continued to change his story when confronted with information that challenged his account. Sahmel reportedly denied raping the victim and denied forcing her to delete her text messages.

Sahmel has been charged with felony sexual battery on a victim over 18 years of age without physical force and is being held on $125,000 bail.

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.