Damien Meeks, 46, of Orlando, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 30 years of Sex Offender Probation, for one count of Sexual Battery with Great Force and one count of False Imprisonment. The defendant was also designated a Sexual Predator for life.
In December 2019, Meeks committed sexual battery on a stranger that he met at a bar & grille in Port Charlotte. After meeting at the bar, the adult victim, along with a few friends and Meeks, went to a friend’s house to socialize. The victim gave her friends a ride home at the end of the evening, and Meeks asked for a ride as well. Meeks was the last person in the victim’s car and asked the victim to pull down a street next to Kiwanis Park, in a wooded area. As soon as the victim stopped the vehicle, Meeks got out of the vehicle and forcefully removed her from the driver’s seat of her vehicle, through the car window.
Meeks knocked the victim to the ground and brought her into a wooded area, punching and striking her, in order to keep her quiet. Once he got into the woods, he sexually battered her. The victim scattered items as the battery took place, including her cell phone, in order to leave evidence of her abduction. In the early morning hours, after Meeks threatened and held the victim for several hours, she was able to convince him that she needed a shower and that no one else would be at her apartment. Meeks and the victim went to her apartment, where the victim’s boyfriend answered the door and the defendant fled.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office responded and collected evidence from the crime scene and a fingerprint from the victim’s vehicle, which positively identified Meeks as the perpetrator. They gathered additional evidence and witness statements which led to the arrest of Meeks.
Assistant State Attorney Michael Colombo Jr. prosecuted the case.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office