LEESBURG, Fla. – Police said a shopper was groped at the mall by a store worker, who is now under arrest, but investigators believe there may be more victims.
The 23-year-old woman told police she was targeted inside a store and the Via Port mall on Highway 441 in Leesburg.
Shoppers found the Cappadocia Art store closed Friday night, as one of the shopkeepers sits in jail. Police said Turkish national Sevket Aksoz has a penchant for crossing the line from flirtation to sexual aggression.
The victim said she walked into the store, and after Aksoz offered her a deal on a lamp, he tried to kiss and grope her and force her into the back of the store.
His arrest is a few weeks in the making, because the victim initially excused the man's odd behavior as a cultural difference, but police think what he did is a crime.
"I could see where that would happen just from his interaction with me," said Yvette Johnson, who remembers Aksoz well after just one time in the store. "He didn't cross the line with me, but I just got a feeling. It was uncomfortable. Flirtatious. It did not make me feel comfortable, and I did not go back in because of that."
The mall has Turkish owners, and police said Aksoz is here on a visa from Turkey.
"Certainly, anytime that you feel that your sixth sense starts to kick in, and you feel that something's not right, you're usually correct," said Leesburg police Lt. Joe Iozzi.
Police think there's a strong chance other women may have experienced odd or even illegal behavior, and have already heard from at least two women so far.