A 45-year-old man is behind bars without bond after his arrest in connection with the alleged sexual battery of an 83-year-old woman in The Villages, and investigators say the case has since widened to include additional incidents reported at a Wildwood retirement community last year. Nicolas McCray now faces a lengthy list of charges spanning aggravated stalking, burglary and sexual battery.
According to villages-news.com, the investigation began on Oct. 22 when an 83-year-old woman in the Lynnhaven area reported being attacked by an unknown individual at 4:14 a.m. Deputies opened an investigation into the reported assault, and the woman later installed cameras outside her home to watch for the suspect, per the same account.
Three days after the reported attack, surveillance footage allegedly showed McCray returning to the woman's home in the early-morning hours, looking in her windows and trying to open her front door, as reported by wesh.com. Deputies said he left after being unable to get inside. That return visit led to additional charges, with McCray now facing aggravated stalking in connection with going back to the victim's home, according to WKMG.
Charges Stack Up Across Two Counties
McCray faces charges of aggravated stalking, burglary of an occupied dwelling, two counts of burglary with assault or battery, two counts of sexual battery, and two counts of loitering, the station's report states. Deputies have placed him at three crime scenes involving sexual battery, and he allegedly admitted to being at the relevant location during questioning, per the same account.
Investigators say McCray was also tied to similar reported incidents at Carriage House Gracious Retirement Living in Wildwood, connected to dates of November 2, December 21 and December 23 of last year. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office said McCray admitted to the allegations during questioning, villages-news.com reports. He was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center, where he remains held without bond.
No Indication of Contact With Children, Sheriff's Office Says
The sheriff's office said there is no indication at this time that McCray made improper contact with any children, according to villages-news.com. Reports describe McCray's job differently: WKMG's headline identifies him as a Sumter County teacher, while wesh.com reports he is currently assigned to Wildwood Elementary School as a physical education paraprofessional.
The Sumter County School Board said it was deeply disturbed by the allegations and called the alleged conduct reprehensible, per WKMG's reporting. The board said it would cooperate fully with law enforcement during the investigation and would take appropriate administrative action under district policy and applicable law. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office has been in contact with the school board to investigate any allegations that arise, the station noted.
