A man from The Villages was arrested Thursday after deputies say he sexually assaulted a disabled man.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office earlier this month, deputies were called to The Villages Regional Hospital for the report of a sexual offense.
Investigators said the victim's father told the deputy that his son has been diagnosed with Autism and has the mental capacity of a fifth -grader.
The Sheriff’s Office said the deputy spoke with the victim who told them that while on his lunch break he was approached by an unknown older white male who lured him into his car at the Publix parking lot.
The deputy said the victim told him the suspect grabbed and rubbed his genitals through his pants and at some point, the suspect put his mouth to the victim's genitals, through his pants.
The victim told the deputy that he asked the suspect to stop, but he continued and then exposed his penis. The victim was eventually able to exit the vehicle and ran into the Publix store, deputies said.
Investigators reviewed video surveillance from a Publix store and were able to use law enforcement databases to identify the suspect as 71-year-old Edmund Peter Rossy of The Villages.
On Thursday deputies said Rossy came to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office where he met with a detective and agreed to participate in an audio/video recorded interview.
At the conclusion of the interview, Rossy was placed under arrest and charged with one count of battery-touch or strike, one count of sexual assault-sexual battery on a person over the age of 18 by a person 18 years or older, and one count of sexual assault-lewd lascivious molestation of an elderly/disabled person.