[PHOTO CREDITS: Florida Department of Corrections /Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 02/14/20]
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TAVARES, Florida — A registered sex offender is behind bars on more than $100,000 bond after a gay female told police he raped her.
According to the heavily-redacted arrest affidavit, a female — whose age is unknown — told police she had been staying at a local motel and did not have enough money to keep paying for her room because she was waiting on her paycheck from a local business. She met Robert Lee Hagins, 52, who told her he did maintenance for the motel in exchange for a room and he offered her a place to stay. The room had separate beds and she agreed to stay with Hagins.
The female told police sometime between Feb. 4 and Sunday, she had sex with Hagins because she “felt obligated to” because he had provided her a place to stay, according to a probable cause affidavit. However, she told police that she told Hagins she “did not want to” before, during and after sex. According to the female she said, “Please don’t hurt me,” and Hagins said, “I’m not going to hurt you.” She told police Hagins started with a condom on, but then took it off. After it was over the female was upset with Hagins and told him she is gay and it would never happen again, according to the affidavit.
On Sunday, Hagins told her they had to switch rooms and the female went with him because she had nowhere to go, she told police. On Monday, she was asleep when she woke up to Hagins allegedly removing her clothes; she told him no several times and told him he was hurting her. She told police Hagins said, “Shut up, [expletive]. I’ll kill you,” and covered her mouth with his hand. She told police he raped her without a condom. She said she tried to push him off of her, but he was too big to move; Hagins is reportedly more than one foot taller than the victim.
The victim was given a medical exam and had injuries consistent with rape, according to the affidavit. Hagins, who was arrested the day of the alleged rape for failure to comply with sexual offender registration requirements, was charged with sexual battery on Tuesday.
According to Florida Department of Corrections records, Hagins has served nine prison terms, including those for sex offenses and for failure to register as a sex offender. (Lake Legal News reported on Hagin’s last arrest, which occurred on Dec. 8, 2019, for threatening a public servant, however, the State Attorney’s Office did not file a formal charge against Hagins.) He is currently being held in the Lake County Jail on $105,000 bond.
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
