A 21-year-old Palm Coast man is being held at the Flagler County jail on $100,000 bond after a 14-year-old girl he is related to accused him of getting her drunk and sexually assaulting her on two separate occasions. Gavin Amante Opare, of Palm Coast’s R Section, was booked into the Volusia County jail early Wednesday before being transferred to Flagler County later that day.
According to FlaglerLive, which cited the arrest report, Opare is accused of getting the girl drunk and raping her. The girl told a detective that Opare offered her shots of vodka and got her drunk several weeks earlier, then forced himself on her while she told him to stop and to get out. She has characterized what happened to her as rape, the outlet reported.
A Friend's Ultimatum Led to the Report
The girl disclosed what happened to a friend, who encouraged her to come forward, the arrest report states. That friend reportedly gave her five days to report the incident herself or the friend would do it for her. When the friend could not reach the girl for several days, she went to a school resource officer, setting the investigation in motion.
A Flagler County Sheriff's detective then contacted the girl's mother, who agreed to let investigators interview her daughter. During that conversation, the girl also reported a second alleged assault, saying Opare lifted her shirt and sexually assaulted her a day or two after the initial incident, per the arrest report as described by FlaglerLive.
Mother Said She Had Already Kicked Opare Out
The girl's mother told the detective that she had already kicked Opare out of her house on October 26, after he had given the teen a nicotine vape that got her suspended from school, the report states. That detail emerged separately from the sexual assault allegations as investigators pieced together the timeline leading up to the disclosure.
Admissions During a Recorded Call
Detectives arranged a controlled phone call involving the girl's mother and Opare, during which he made numerous admissions, according to the arrest report. He admitted to removing his and the girl's clothes and engaging in various acts, and said he had attempted intercourse but failed because of erectile dysfunction he said he had experienced for several years.
Opare repeatedly expressed remorse and acknowledged his wrongdoing during the call, the report states, and at one point said he knew he had “fucked up.” Under Florida law, touching a child's genitals without penetration can be sufficient to trigger molestation and rape or sexual-battery standards under Chapter 794 of the Florida Statutes.
Bond Set, No-Contact Order Imposed
At his first appearance, County Judge Melissa Distler set Opare's bond at $100,000 and imposed a no-contact order covering the alleged victim, her mother, and one other person. Opare remains at the Flagler County jail as the case proceeds.
