MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of rape in Marion County is now facing an additional charge after a third victim came forward, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Dionne Le Trell Southall, 30, now faces a sexual battery with use of physical force charge in addition to battery by strangulation and two counts of sexual battery with use of a deadly weapon.
The sheriff’s office announced Southall’s arrest on Dec. 3 after investigating two sexual battery cases that occurred in May and July in Summerfield. Deputies said in one case Southall used a fake Facebook profile to lure one victim to rape her and in the other case, he had choked the victim until she lost consciousness and raped her.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office said an additional victim came forward on Dec. 5 after seeing his arrest to report she had been attacked by him.
The victim told detectives she was contacted by Southall in January 2021 on Facebook and they had arranged to meet up for sex. The sheriff’s office said Southall took the victim to a home that was under construction.
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During the meeting, deputies said the victim no longer wanted to have sex and tried to leave. Southall tried to lock the door but was unsuccessful, deputies said, and then followed the victim before choking her, the sheriff’s office said.
Southall dragged the victim into the woods near the 8200 block of SE 165th Mulberry Lane in Lady Lake and forcibly raped her, deputies said. The victim was able to escape when Southall briefly stopped, sheriff’s officials said.
“Based on the victim’s testimony, detectives responded to the area where the rape occurred and corroborated the incident location with her recollection of the assault,” the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives spoke with Southall, who remains in custody at the Marion County jail, and “although he denied knowing the victim when confronted with her disclosure, Southall provided evidence to support her statements.”
Deputies said Southall was living in the area at the time of the attack, had a history of meeting women on Facebook for sex, and confirmed he was in photos the victim received.