Man accused of groping 12-year-old in Wynwood. He was banned from FIU campuses, police say
A former Florida International University student accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and a woman in Wynwood previously had been banned from all the school’s campuses, records show.
Elijah Nathan Jean-Gilles, 20, was arrested Saturday by Miami police on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation as well as battery. He bonded out of jail after a Monday morning court appearance, during which he pleaded not guilty.
A trespass warning issued in April 2023 by FIU police indicates that Jean-Gilles wasn’t allowed on any university property. The flyer, which included a photo of Jean-Gilles, requested that anyone who saw him call police.
Jean-Gilles was barred from the campus after police were dispatched to the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential House, where he was being “suspicious,” according to an FIU police report. It’s not clear what actions prompted the suspicion.
On Friday, Miami police say that the 12-year-old girl was walking from school to Bubba Tea n Smoothies, 2617 N Miami Ave. in Wynwood, when a man groped her. She told investigators that she slapped his hands away, ran to the restaurant and called her mother.
A woman, who was also groped by the same man, told police she witnessed him touching the girl. The woman flagged down a nearby officer and identified Jean-Gilles as the groper, according to police.
Anyone with information about the case should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
This report will be updated as more information becomes available
This story was originally published March 3, 2024 at 8:51 PM.
