The child was only 4 when the 18-year-old began sexually assaulting her, cops say
A Delray Beach 18-year-old is behind bars after detectives say he raped a 5-year-old and then “confessed” about the incident to a family member via text message.
He asked the family member for a “second chance” and not to tell police, the messages show.
Kevens Sanon was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of sexual assault on a victim younger than 12 years old.
He was being held Tuesday in Palm Beach County’s Main Detention Center with no bond.
According to Sanon’s arrest report, the abuse began in her house when the child was 4.
After a 21-year-old family member learned of the incident, the family member alerted police on Dec. 1. The Florida Department of Children and Families removed the 5-year old from the home, police said.
On Dec. 5, a Child Protection Team investigator interviewed the child, who “demonstrated the ability to differentiate the difference between a truth and a lie,” according to the report.
The child detailed what happened to her on Halloween night, saying Sanon “put his ‘boy body parts’ into her ‘girl body parts.,’” an officer wrote in the report. The relationship between Sanon and the child was redacted in the report.
The child told an older sibling, who then told an even older sibling.
The child also told investigators that there was another incident with Sanon about a week before Halloween.
After learning about the abuse, the 21-year-old confronted Sanon through text, police said. The family member then handed the texts — which were exchanged between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 — to investigators.
At first, Sanon denied doing anything to the child and begged for a chance “to make this right,” the messages show. He said he was focused on getting his GED, or high school equivalency degree.
By the end of the text conversation, Sanon said: “I know I need to go to jail.“
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
