Man accused of sexual assault of 14-year-old girl outside Coral Square mall
CORAL SPRINGS - A 33-year-old Coral Springs man is accused of following a 14-year-old girl in the parking lot of Coral Square Mall and sexually assaulting her.
Hosea Smith Jr., who is unemployed, is facing four charges: sexual battery on a person 12 years old and older without consent, lewd/lascivious molestation, lewd/lascivious exhibition on a child and probation violation.
He was arrested Monday and taken to Broward's Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale. On Tuesday, a judge ordered him held on no bond for the sexual battery charge and set a $300,000 bond for the other offenses.
According to the arrest report, the girl said she had been dropped off Sunday night for a 7:15 p.m. movie at Paragon Theaters with a friend. She told detectives she was denied access into the theater for being previously barred and then walked to the Coral Square Mall by cutting through the parking lot on the east side of the building on W Atlantic Boulevard.
"The victim states that as she was walking, she observed (the defendant) walking with another female and a juvenile child she assumed was their child," Detective Michelle Gianino wrote in the report.
The teen told police she noticed that the man was following her.
"Why are you following me?" she told police she asked him.
"Because you look good," he replied, according to the report.
The teen said he then asked her how old she was and told her how old he was. The girl told him she was "way too young for him and to leave her alone because she was a kid," according to the report.
"The victim questioned where his wife and child were and (Smith) replied, 'That doesn't matter'," according to the report.
The teen said the man then exposed himself, grabbed her hair and pulled her toward him.
"The victim described a struggle of him 'tossing her around' and her pushing him off of her," Gianino wrote.
The girl lost two acrylic toenails and the man took her unlocked cellphone, according to the report. The teen told police he called his cellphone so he would have her number.
The girl said the man then pulled down her shorts and underwear, bent her forward and tried to sexually assault her.
"The victim described that he was touching all over her body and kissed her neck," according to the report.
He then left.
Afterward, the teen said she told two friends what had happened. After seeing she had a missed call, she called the number. Investigators found the number was assigned to Smith's phone.
On Monday, police conducted a surveillance operation and were able to take Smith into custody.
Smith has a history with law enforcement. He is listed as a violent felony offender and has been on probation since 2012 until 2027. Smith was under house arrest on the day of the alleged attack and not allowed to leave the premises.
