A 38-year-old Margate man was arrested last week after police accused him of attacking a woman at Serino Park and keeping her there for hours. Investigators say the woman had been sleeping on a bench before the alleged encounter began.
CBS Miami reported Tuesday that Omar Boatwright was taken into custody in connection with the alleged rape, citing arrest records. According to that report, the woman managed to contact police while she and Boatwright were still at the park.
An arrest report reviewed by Local 10 News states that the incident began last Friday after the woman rejected Boatwright’s request for sex and tried to walk away. Surveillance video allegedly showed Boatwright chasing her and grabbing her from behind. She told officers he then struck her in the head and face and choked her until she lost consciousness, according to the report.
The woman told investigators she woke up on the grass while Boatwright was trying to pull off her pants, then reported that he raped her about four times over roughly six hours, the arrest account says. Police documented bruising around her eyes and red marks on her face and neck, and she was taken to a sexual-assault treatment center for a forensic exam. Boatwright told investigators he knew the woman, claimed she owed him about $200, and said she had agreed to sex while denying that he hit her, according to the report.
The alleged attack took place at Serino Park, which the City of Margate lists at 5600 SW 8th Court. The park sits near Southwest Eighth Court and State Road 7, according to the arrest report.
Boatwright Remains Jailed Without Bond
Local 10 News reported that Boatwright was booked on charges including sexual battery involving force or a weapon and battery by strangulation. He remained in the Broward County Main Jail without bond as of Tuesday afternoon.
Florida’s sexual battery statute defines consent as intelligent, knowing and voluntary, and specifies that coerced submission does not count as consent, according to the Florida Legislature. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the case will continue through the criminal justice system.
