A Marion County man accused of sexually battering a woman inside her Ocala residence early Friday morning was later tracked and bitten by a Sheriff’s Office K-9 after deputies say he fled the scene and hid in multiple backyards before concealing himself inside a new construction home.
According to arrest affidavits from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began around 4 a.m. on Nov. 28 when deputies responded to a report of a woman waking to find a man she knew touching and digitally penetrating her while she slept on her living room couch. The victim told detectives she yelled for help, struck the man, and attempted to grab a knife before another person in the home intervened. The suspect left the residence before deputies arrived.
Detectives identified the suspect as Andrew Nelson Jr., 36, of Ocala. Witness statements supported the victim’s account, and investigators determined there was probable cause to arrest Nelson on a felony charge of sexual battery by a person 18 or older on a victim 18 or older.
Later that afternoon, a separate caller reported a suspicious man hiding behind a residence on Pecan Road and asking for a ride. Deputies were shown a photograph taken by the caller and immediately identified the man as Nelson, who now had active warrants connected to the sexual battery investigation.
A K-9 team responded to the area to begin a track. According to the affidavit, K-9 Eli tracked Nelson through streets, a retention area, and neighboring yards before circling back toward the victim’s residence, where deputies determined he had been actively fleeing and hiding.
During the search, a construction worker at a nearby newly built home told deputies someone matching Nelson’s description was inside the house. Deputies gave multiple loud commands ordering the suspect to come out. When he did not comply, K-9 Eli and his handler entered the residence and located Nelson hiding in the first bedroom on the right.
K-9 Eli then apprehended Nelson by biting his right arm, bringing the hours-long search to an end. Deputies recovered a small amount of marijuana from his jacket pocket during a pat-down and noted he had attempted to evade law enforcement throughout the morning and afternoon.
Nelson was taken to AdventHealth Ocala for medical evaluation due to the bite and then transported to the Marion County Jail. In addition to the sexual battery charge, he was also charged with resisting an officer without violence and misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Nelson is being held without bond on the sexual battery charge. The additional charges each carry a $1,000 bond. The case has been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office.
