http://www.mynews13.com/content/new...pering_witness_child_sexual_battery_case.htmlNichelle Taylor and Natasha Douglas face felony tampering charges in connection to a case involving Antonio Thomas, who was arrested in August on sexual battery and abuse charges, Orlando Police said Wednesday.
Thomas is accused of sexually battering a child under 12. During the investigation, Taylor, who is a relative of the child, did not show up for several interviews at Orlando Police headquarters, officers said.
Detectives said Taylor and Douglas had been trying to silencing a girl who came forward with sex abuse allegations against Thomas, the boyfriend of one of the women.
"Basically, they tried to force the victim to write a statement out saying she does not want to move forward with a couple other things," Orlando Police Sgt. Tami Edwards said. "If you're a victim of a crime... no one has that right to take away your ability as a person to recover and move forward."
Douglas has been charged with tampering with a witness, and Taylor has been charged with accessory after the fact to capital felony, harassing a witness and failure to report child abuse.
According to an arrest affidavit, an 11-year-old girl reported to police that Thomas had sexually abused her over a period of time. As officers tried to talk to him during a traffic stop, Thomas told them he was a "sovereign citizen," and they had no legal authority to hold him, the report said. He became physically resistant, kicking his legs, and repeatedly told officers to kill him.
Thomas was booked in late August in the Orange County Jail for sexual battery on a child under 12, lewd or lascivious molestation and child abuse, among other charges.
“When you take that power away from the victim, again, you are revictimizing her or him. As a member of the police department and special victims unit, we’re going to take this seriously," Edwards said.
"This child has now been victimized by several people in her life, and we won't stand for that," Orlando Police spokeswoman Michelle Guido said in a news release.
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