Two men are now behind bars after being arrested on charges related to the sexual battery of a Miami Beach woman earlier this year, with allegations detailing a night of partying that took a dark turn. Geron Gjata, 34, and Frank Christian Sanders, 48, have been implicated in the events of April 2, when the woman, who has known Gjata for several years, described being drugged and sexually assaulted by both men after a night out, according to NBC Miami.
As detailed by the victim and the arrest reports, the evening began innocuously, with Gjata and the woman drinking at several bars and clubs; however, their rendezvous with Sanders at his Miami Beach apartment became the alleged scene of the battery where they consumed more alcohol and cocaine, according to an arrest form sourced by Local 10. The woman, who awoke in an unfamiliar state of undress later recounted feeling a pain that she associated not with her voluntary consumption but with the forced sexual encounter, believing herself to have been incapacitated by ketamine, a detail she remembered being mentioned earlier in the night.
The investigation took a turn when both men visited the Miami Beach police headquarters on different dates, with Sanders providing a voluntary DNA sample, and although a majority of their conversations with investigators have been redacted from the arrest reports, their statements contributed to the determination that the victim was "unable to consent to sexual activity described by all parties," as NBC Miami reports.
Following their arrests, Gjata and Sanders faced a judge in Miami-Dade court with Gjata being denied bond yesterday, and Sanders appearing in court today where he was also denied bond, Gjata was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of sexual battery and sexual battery including multiple perpetrators but as of the latest reports his bond was set at $4,000, meanwhile, Sanders' current custodial status and bond information remain unclear said Local 10. The story continues to develop as the legal process unfolds, and more details may become available pending further investigation.
