A suspect has been arrested in sexual assault at Fort Lauderdale spa caught on video
Releasing a surveillance camera video and video stills of a sexual assault to the mass media led to the arrest of a suspect, Fort Lauderdale police said.
Fort Lauderdale police said tipsters who saw video of the Angel Day Spa attempted rape put them on the path to Hollywood resident Christopher De Vlugt. They also said De Vlugt mentioned his notoriety to Hollywood police when they picked him up on an unrelated charge Sunday.
The 28-year-old, already arrested by Hollywood on a charge of knowingly driving with a suspended license, then was charged with two counts of sexual assault on a person over 12. He’s in Broward County Jail with bond set at $200,100.
Back in August, De Vlugt posted $2,000 bond after his arrest on grand theft and uttering a forged instrument charges.
The attempted rape, which police say followed the suspect exposing himself, took place at Angel Day Spa on Sept. 5, a Saturday afternoon. By the end of the weekend, every major South Florida media outlet had shown the video and some had posted the stills of the suspect walking in black attire described by police as a New Era Marlins black baseball cap, Nike Air Jordan sweat pants and a mask with the Louis Vuitton monogram.
Fort Lauderdale police said someone recognized the suspect as a former customer at Health and Beauty Spa in Dania Beach. A check of those security cameras turned up someone in the same attire and driving the same car as the Angel Day Spa suspect.
Someone else, Fort Lauderdale police say, called with a first name, “Chris,” and a possible home address in Hollywood. Investigators say they saw “Chris” wearing the same clothes and the same car was parked at the apartment complex.
Before Fort Lauderdale police could arrest De Vlugt, they said Hollywood police stopped him on a traffic violation Sunday and found he was driving on a suspended license. As he spoke to Hollywood cops, their Fort Lauderdale counterparts said De Vlugt “advised officers he was aware of the media coverage depicting him as a sexual battery suspect.”
Hollywood advised Fort Lauderdale the latter’s sexual assault suspect was sitting in their station.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 2:40 PM.
