Riviera man pleads guilty to battery on child, gets 18 months
A judge has sentenced a Riviera Beach man accused of sexually assaulting two teenagers in January to 18 months in jail, court records show.
Sergio Brown, 33, pleaded guilty last Tuesday to two counts of battery on a child, lesser charges than the offenses of lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor that he faced when arrested in February.
Judge Glenn Kelley ordered that Brown spend the remainder of the sentence — he already has spent more than three months behind bars — in the Palm Beach County Jail.
A 15-year-old told Riviera Beach police that she met Brown online. They rendezvoused in January at a Starbucks near the group home where she lived with other young teens, according to police records.
Then they went to his home on the south side of Riviera Beach.
The 15-year-old and some of her young friends reportedly drank there and returned the next day for more. She said Brown held her captive in the home for a week, although authorities never pursued kidnapping charges against him, and other teens in the home disputed her claims.
The teen said Brown raped her twice. Two other teens, 14 and 17, told police they engaged in sexual activities at the home with Brown and another man. They said the men knew how young they were.
The age of sexual consent in Florida is 18. No one under the age of 16 can give consent under any circumstances, according to Florida statutes.
Riviera Beach police concluded Brown “took advantage of the young children while they were intoxicated.”