WILTON MANORS, Fla. – Wilton Manors Police are searching for a man who engaged in sex acts with two teenage girls at a home for victims of physical and sexual abuse.
It happened at Kids in Distress, located at 819 NE 26th Street, about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 7.
"From surveillance video we saw and the witness we talked to, this appears to be random," said Wilton Manors Police Sgt. Chuck Howard. "He was walking by the front of the property, he engaged the juveniles in conversation and jumped over the fence. That's when the assault happened."
Police say witnesses reported the incident, not the two girls involved. It's unclear if either girl called for help at the time.
"These girls were taken advantage of," said Kids in Distress CEO Mark Dhooge.
Kids in Distress provides temporary housing for children who have been neglected or abused. People who live nearby said they often see children jumping the fence to leave.
"I have seen them jump during the day and ask neighbors if they can use the phone to call a parent or someone," said Don Ruiz.
Dhooge said the two supervisors on duty at the time of the incident were fired.
"They should have been monitoring the kids at that time of the day, at 3 o'clock in the morning," he said. "They should have been monitoring those kids on a one-to-one basis, outside, consistently."
Dhooge added that supervisors are evaluating security procedures at the campus.
Police released a sketch of the man on Tuesday. He is described as 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 to 170 pounds. He had blue or green eyes and short, brown hair.
Police say the man may have had a tattoo on his left shoulder and a gunshot scar on his right shoulder.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call police at 954-390-2165.