A 38-year-old man who arranged to tour a North Fort Myers home listed for sale is now accused of isolating the homeowner's teenage son in a bathroom and sexually assaulting him during the visit. Uriel Santiago Perez was booked into the Lee County Jail on October 7 on a charge of sexual battery on a victim between 12 and 18 years old by a person 18 or older, and he is being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer as well.
According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Santiago Perez contacted the homeowner after the property was advertised for sale and set up a time to tour the house, as reported by Shore News Network. Investigators allege that during the walkthrough on October 6, he maneuvered the homeowner's juvenile son into a bathroom and sexually assaulted him there. The boy reported the incident to authorities, and detectives say they developed probable cause to arrest Santiago Perez on the sexual battery charge.
Deputies say that before leaving the residence, Santiago Perez told the boy to meet him at the end of the road. Lee County Sheriff's deputies located him there shortly after, according to the sheriff's office. The agency has not disclosed the victim's exact age or said whether Santiago Perez had any prior relationship with the family, and it has not released his immigration history or country of origin.
Sheriff Marceno's Pointed Condemnation
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno condemned the allegations in an October statement from the Lee County Sheriff's Office, calling Santiago Perez a “vulgar human being” and an “illegal predator.” Marceno said such criminal behavior has no place in the county, “especially when you CHOOSE to be here ILLEGALLY.” He also praised his special victims unit and responding deputies for moving quickly to investigate, and said his department intends to pursue the charges to the fullest extent of the law.
Santiago Perez is accused of sexual battery involving a juvenile between the ages of 12 and 18, and under Florida law he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The charge falls under Florida Statute § 794.011(5), which classifies sexual battery by someone 18 or older against a victim aged 12 to 17 — without force likely to cause serious injury — as a first-degree felony. A conviction carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, under the statute maintained by the Florida Legislature.
Florida's Immigration-Enforcement Law
Florida Statute § 908.104, enacted in 2019, requires state and local law enforcement agencies to use “best efforts” to support federal immigration enforcement and bars them from adopting policies that restrict compliance with ICE detainers.
More than a thousand people have been stopped since August. The sheriff's office requested nearly $23 million in state funding in February for technology upgrades, including body cameras with translation features and license plate readers, specifically to support deputies carrying out federal immigration duties, per Gulf Coast News Now.
For-Sale-By-Owner Listing
The case raises a safety concern for homeowners who sell without an agent. The North Fort Myers home was reportedly a for-sale-by-owner listing, meaning there was no agent present to help screen the visitor or supervise the tour before the alleged assault occurred.
