Man arrested in sex battery of woman dragged into woods, attacked

Victim treated for her injuries at hospital

ORLANDO, Fla. – Authorities on Tuesday arrested a man in the sexual battery of a woman who was dragged into wooded area in Orange County and sexually attacked.

The sexual battery was reported around 11:15 a.m. on  Aug. 14 behind the Circle K at 1801 N. Goldenrod Road.

Lavar Deshawn Willis, 38, a registered sex offender, was arrested on Tuesday and is in the Orange County jail. Details on his arrest have not been released, but he was taken into custody at 2500 W. Colonial Drive.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, a 25-year-old woman was pulled into the woods and attacked.

According to the arrest affidavit, the victim got of the bus and was waiting to get picked up. She told deputies Willis came up to her and offered her money and drugs. She says he then grabbed her by the arm and forced her into the wooded area.

The report states Willis forced himself on the victim and made her perform sexual acts. She says he also threatened to kill her. According to the report, he covered her mouth and squeezed her throat until she almost lost consciousness. The victim told deputies that Willis forced her to say she loved him.

The victim managed to escape and flag down a passerby who helped her. The report states she was yelling, "Help, he just raped me."

The witness called 911. The attacker eluded deputies by fleeing on a bicycle toward Goldenrod Road and East Colonial Drive. Deputies couldn't find the attacker.

The victim was taken to Florida Hospital East and was treated and released, deputies said.

She identified Willis in a photo line up days after the attack.

The report states the victim knew of the attacker. She told deputies Willis tried to grab her and take her into the same woods in September 2015. She also said in May of this year he exposed himself to her at her apartment complex.

Willis is charged with sexual battery, attempted homicide, kidnapping, and failure to register as a sex offender.

Willis faced a judge for the first time Wednesday morning on the charge for failing to register as a sex offender. His bond is set at $2,500.