A Windermere man accused of drugging and raping women will remain in jail after an Orange County judge denied him bond Thursday during his first court appearance.
- Darryl Patterson, 49, arrested in connection to year-long rape case
- Windermere Police investigating rape of several women
- Patterson also facing warrant out of Hernando County on unrelated sex battery charge
Darryl Wayne Patterson, 49, is facing charges involving two victims — one in Orange County and one in Hernando County. In the Orange County case, Patterson faces six charges for three separate acts. He faces one count in Hernando County.
The investigation began in December 2014 when police said they first became aware of several potential sexual battery cases involving Patterson.
Police obtained photos, video cassettes and DVDs of women, some unconscious with little clothing on.
In April 2015, investigators recovered even more photos and recordings from Patterson's house.
"I remember the Windermere police came by with that — the pictures of two women and have I ever seen these women? No, I haven't seen these women," said Pat Slonecker, a neighbor.
Windermere Police made their investigation public in December 2015 by releasing photographs of several of the women with the hopes of identifying them and to make sure they weren't in danger.
"Just knowing Darryl, how gentle a soul he is … it just baffles me," Slonecker said.
Police identified most of the women in the photographs and the investigation is ongoing in those cases. The victim in the case for which Patterson was arrested on Wednesday said she had no idea she was assaulted or videotaped.
State Attorney Jeff Ashton said at a news conference Thursday that he hopes Patterson's arrest will lead to more victims coming forward.
"If you are a young woman who knows this particular individual and you experienced a loss of time when you were in his presence — you fell asleep, you woke up in an odd place and you felt like something had happened — you may be on these tapes," Ashton said. "So, please contact us. I want to assure you we can protect your identity."
Windermere Police said their investigation revealed another case that occurred in Brooksville. That case has been turned over to the Brooksviille Police Department.
A spokesperson with the Brooksville Police Department said a victim used to work with Patterson and met up with him one night in July 2012. They had dinner and drinks.
Brooksville Police said the victim was unaware that she was drugged and sexually abused and that it was recorded. She said she only found out about it after Windermere Police released snapshots of the videos.
"It's possible that this man has been doing this for a very long time because everyone was embarrassed. So come forward, talk to us and let us help you if we can,” Ashton said.
Right now, an advocate at Victim Service Center of Central Florida says confidentiality is key when helping victims heal.
"Coming forward can be a difficult thing to do and we acknowledge that here at the Victim Service Center,” sexual assault counselor Indhira Acosta said.
"We still do encourage victims to come forward because we are there to walk the victim through the process and ask the questions that can assist in putting them on a path towards healing,” Acosta said.
Detectives said this is still an ongoing investigation and they are still working to identify some of the women from the photos. They said if you have any information on the case or could be a potential victim, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).