Florida Man Convicted After Confessing To Child Abuse In Police Application

May 18, 2024 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense, News & Announcements, Sex Crimes Social Share

When an individual is accused of inappropriately touching a child, there are several different charges they may face in Florida, including sexual battery. Recently, a 26-year-old Florida man and former aspiring police officer was convicted of sexual battery on his younger cousin when he was a teenager. He now faces life in prison.

This page will provide the case details so far, as well as information pertaining to relevant charges in Florida.

Case Details

In 2021, Stephen Bodley was interviewing for a job at the Apopka Police Department. During the interview process, applicants are given a “voice stress test” based on information they had included on the questionnaire they submitted with their application, according to a statement from the State Attorney’s office.

On June 21, Bodley, who was 24 at the time, was asked to elaborate on one of his answers to the pre-interview questionnaire in which he alluded to sexually abusing a child. Bodley offered additional details about the abuse to the interviewer, including the fact that the abuse occurred when he was a teenager and his younger cousin was under the age of 12. 

“I can’t remember but um, but what do you call it, yes, um, I used to um, play these little sexual games, like oral with my little [redacted] and I known she, she didn’t know fully what was going on, and I used to watch porn a lot, so I had like a little addiction when I was younger,” Bodley told a detective at the time, according to an affidavit.

After receiving this information, Apopka law enforcement opened an investigation. Police called in the victim and her mother for an interview. The mother confirmed that Bodley and the victim were close, and the abuse was subsequently reported to Florida’s Department of Children and Families. 

Bodley, now 26, was arrested and charged with sexual battery on a minor under 12 by a person under 18, which he subsequently denied after being apprehended by police. But after the judge in the case chose to admit Bodley’s pre-arrest confession to the police interviewer, the jury found him guilty. 

Bodley remains in prison in Orange County, awaiting sentencing on June 24. He faces up to life in prison.

Sexual Battery

Florida Statute 794.011(2) establishes penalties for those convicted of sexual battery on a minor under 12 years old. It reads:

(2)(a) A person 18 years of age or older who commits sexual battery upon, or in an attempt to commit sexual battery injures the sexual organs of, a person less than 12 years of age commits a capital felony.

(b) A person less than 18 years of age who commits sexual battery upon, or in an attempt to commit sexual battery injures the sexual organs of, a person less than 12 years of age commits a life felony.

As of 2023, Florida law allows the death penalty for adults who commit sexual battery upon a minor under the age of 12. For those who were under the age of 18, this is considered a “life felony,” a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison.

For victims over 12 years old, Subsection (5) provides:

(5)(a) A person 18 years of age or older who commits sexual battery upon a person 12 years of age or older but younger than 18 years of age, without that person’s consent, and in the process does not use physical force and violence likely to cause serious personal injury commits a felony of the first degree.

(b) A person 18 years of age or older who commits sexual battery upon a person 18 years of age or older, without that person’s consent, and in the process does not use physical force and violence likely to cause serious personal injury commits a felony of the second degree.

Important: Under Florida Statute 794.011(2), “sexual battery” is defined as the oral, anal, or female genital penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another or the anal or female genital penetration of another by any other object. This does not include an act done for a bona fide medical purpose by a licensed medical authority, in accordance with the standard of care for a medical condition.

Exhibition 

Under Florida Statute 800.04, lewd and lascivious exhibition can be charged if a person “intentionally touches in a lewd or lascivious manner the breasts, genitals, genital area, or buttocks, or the clothing covering them, of a person less than 16 years of age, or forces or entices a person under 16 years of age to so touch the perpetrator.”

If an offender 18 years of age or older commits lewd or lascivious molestation against a victim less than 12 years of age, they commit a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison.

If the defendant was younger than 18 when accused of lewd and lascivious exhibition, it could result in a third-degree felony charge. The penalties for a third-degree felony in Florida include up to a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

If the defendant was 18-years-old or older when accused of lewd and lascivious exhibition, it could result in a second-degree felony charge. The penalties for a second-degree felony in Florida include up to a $10,000 fine and up to 15 years in prison.

Molestation

Under Florida Statute 800.04, lewd and lascivious molestation may be charged if someone is accused of intentionally touching a person under the age of 16 in a lewd or lascivious manner, or forcing the victim under 16 to touch the defendant in the following areas:

• Breasts
• Genitals
• Genital area
• Buttocks
• Clothing covering the genital area

If the defendant was younger than 18 when accused of lewd and lascivious molestation and the victim was between the ages of 12-15, it could result in a third-degree felony charge. The penalties for a third-degree felony include up to a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

If the defendant was 18 years or older when accused of lewd and lascivious molestation and the victim was between the ages of 12-15, it could result in a second-degree felony charge. The penalties for a second-degree felony include up to a $10,000 fine and up to fifteen years in prison.

If the defendant was younger than 18 when accused of lewd and lascivious molestation and the victim was under the age of 12, it could also result in a second-degree felony charge.

If the defendant was 18 years or older when accused of lewd and lascivious molestation and the victim was under the age of 12, this could result in a life felony charge, punishable by up to life in prison.

Contact a Defense Attorney in Tallahassee, Florida 

Criminal cases involving child victims are prosecuted harshly in Florida. Such crimes often come with extensive prison sentences, expensive fines, and filing with the Florida Sex Offender Registry. A conviction also holds the stigma of abusing children, which could have life-altering consequences for your career, your relationships, and your future.

If you or someone you love has been accused of a crime in the state of Florida, contact Pumphrey Law Firm. Don Pumphrey and his team have years of experience in criminal law and have represented clients from all walks of life. Call us today at (850) 681-7777 or leave an online message today for a free consultation.

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