Teenage boy attacked in parking garage

St Augustine police were called to a business on St George Street last night at about 6:30 p.m. after a 25 year-old deaf man reported that he had been sexually battered at the Historic Downtown Parking Facility.

On further investigation, however, officers determined that 25 year-old William Anthony Muse, who resides at 10 1/2 Mulvey Street in St Augustine, was the attacker — not the victim of the crime; which involved the battery of a 13-year-old boy.

Lynn Ziegler, a sign language interpreter, assisted at the police station to aid officers with their interview of Muse.

In his first sworn statement, Muse wrote that he was at the playground, across from the parking garage, and that a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes began stalking him. Muse says that he tried to get away from the teenager, but that the boy “hit him so hard”, that he could not escape.

Muse told police in his statement that the attacker pushed him into the parking garage elevator and took him up to the fourth floor; where he forced Muse to take off his pants. Muse stated that his attacker fondled Muse’s penis, five times, and then the boy took his own pants off, exposing his penis to Muse. When Muse was able to get away, he said that he ran to the store on St George Street to call for help.

As Muse was being interviewed, another officer located a person matching the description given in the initial report. Muse was taken to the location and he identified the teenager at the scene as his stalker.

The boy and his grandmother went to the Police Department to be interviewed. Although the boy first denied meeting Muse or being in the parking garage, he later admitted that Muse gestured for him to go up the elevator to the fourth floor with him.

After questioning, the boy told police that Muse forced him to pull his shorts down and that Muse pulled his own shorts down, exposing his penis. The teen stated that Muse made a gesture for him to perform oral sex on him and that Muse’s penis entered his mouth. The boy stated that Muse held him in the stairwell for a period before he was able to get away.

At the conclusion of the interview, officers confronted Muse and told him that they did not believe his story that a 13-year-old boy, who weighs approximately 100 lbs., was able to force a 25 year-old man into an elevator and then make him take his clothes off.

Muse, who police reported showed no signs of injury, recanted his original statement and confessed to his crimes against the boy; writing a new statement of facts for the police.

Muse was taken into custody and charged with two second-degree felony crimes; sexual battery and lewd and lascivious behavior. He remains in custody at the St Johns County Detention Facility in lieu of $125,000 bond.