Woman told armed man she preferred a bullet to enduring sex assault, Florida cops say

An armed man intent on sexually assaulting a woman he took hostage was left slack-jawed when the defiant victim insisted “he would have to shoot her first,” the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office reports.

The Florida woman then began screaming, which startled the suspect who then tripped and fell with his genitals hanging out of his pants, according to a news release.

That allowed her a chance to scramble to safety.

It happened Friday, Feb. 10, and deputies later arrested 29-year-old Donovan Tyler Adkins and charged him with felony sexual battery and a half dozen other offenses, the sheriff’s office said. Brevard County is just east of Orlando on Florida’s east coast.

The woman and her boyfriend fell victim when the suspect approached them with accusations they had been involved in a robbery, officials said.

“As Adkins pretended to talk to someone on the phone, he forced the female victim into the woods with the firearm and told the male to stay put. After taking the female victim deeper into the woods, Adkins kept the gun pointed at her and ordered her to perform sexual acts on him,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“With Adkins pointing the gun at her face, she refused to comply and told Adkins he would have to shoot her first!! Adkins at this point had exposed himself and the victim began screaming. The victim’s boyfriend was quickly approaching their location in the woods which startled the suspect, causing him to trip and thereby giving the victim a brief opportunity to escape!”

The woman and her boyfriend were gathering their belongings to leave when the suspect showed up again, grabbed the woman’s cell phone and took off running, officials said.

Investigators said they made an arrest the same day after another park visitor “familiar with the suspect” came forward with information.

Adkins faces charges of robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, false imprisonment, sexual battery, petit theft, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting arrest without violence, officials said.

This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 7:38 AM with the headline "Woman told armed man she preferred a bullet to enduring sex assault, Florida cops say."