The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Florida man allegedly left a young boy by himself on the side of the road near a police department after becoming convinced that the boy was gay.
On the evening of December 1, a person notified the authorities after they allegedly witnessed a man and a young boy inside a vehicle on the highway that runs in front of the Haines City Police Department. The witness alleged that the child got out of the car at the side of the road, as the driver made a U-turn and left the area and left the child without supervision.
The police department was closed at the time, and an officer found the child when he went to the location to investigate the report made by the concerned citizen.
The boy, whose age has not been disclosed, was reportedly found by the officer in a state of fear and crying. It was also noted that the child was carrying a duffel bag with articles of clothing inside.
As reflected in the police report, the officer spoke with the child and asked why he was upset, and the boy allegedly told him that he was abandoned. The boy said that when he was dropped off he was told that “the police will find you a new home.” He was then allegedly left by himself without a phone, water, or sustenance.
The boy told the officer that Evenaud Julmeus, a man who lives with the boy and his family but has not been officially confirmed as his biological father, had gotten very angry with him after he made the assumption that the boy was a homosexual. He said that Julmeus told him to get some clothing and put it in a bag before leaving him on the highway.
The officer inquired as to why Julmeus thought the child was gay, and the child said it was the result of finding exclusively male pornographic images on his phone.
When Julmeus went back home without the child, the boy’s mother had just emerged from the shower and asked where he was. Julmeus allegedly informed her of where he had left the child, and she hastily headed for the police department asking Julmeus to care for her 9-year-old daughter and 1-year-old.
When officers went to the home to interact with Julmeus, they reported that he had already left the premises and did not provide a caretaker for the two children.
The following morning, Julmeus went to the Haines City police headquarters and turned himself in for the accusations. He was taken into custody and booked into the county jail on three counts of negligent child abuse, and he was held in lieu of a $3,000 bond.
Julmeus made bond and was release two-days later, and he has been assigned a public defender for his upcoming court appearance.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a domestic violence crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.