Coral Springs High School junior accused of sexually assaulting girl

William Mendoza accused of sodomizing girl, forcing her to perform oral sex

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – A Coral Springs High School junior is facing possible jail time after he was arrested on allegations that he sexually assaulted a girl over the weekend.

William Mendoza, 18, was arrested at his home Thursday. He faces two counts of sexual battery on a victim over the age of 12.

Police said Mendoza forced a 16-year-old girl, who is not a student at Coral Springs High School, to perform oral sex on him and forcefully sodomized the victim.

According to an arrest report, the incident happened behind a dumpster at an apartment complex on Sunday. The girl told police that she met with Mendoza in the parking lot between 6 and 7 p.m. and he began kissing her. She said he then forced her to perform oral sex on him and then sodomized her, despite her multiple pleas for him to stop.

According to detectives, Mendoza confessed to the crime and a rape kit backed up the victim's allegations.

Mendoza, who does not have a previous arrest history, is being held in jail in lieu of a $20,000 bond.

Coral Springs High School has been fraught with violence this year, with multiple fights on campus. Coral Springs police have said that there is a gang problem at the school, but said Sunday's incident shouldn't be tied to the school.

"This incident has nothing to do with Coral Springs High School in and of itself other than the fact (that) our suspect attends that school. Our victim does not attend the same school," Sgt. Carla Kmiotek said.

Students Local 10 News spoke to claim that students get jumped in the hallways between classes regularly. Earlier this week, cellphone video showed a student being beaten and body slammed by another student.

Numerous parents of students at the school have said that they worry for their children and are concerned that school officials may not be doing enough to stop the violence.

"The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority," Broward County Public Schools spokeswoman Nadine Drew said in a statement Friday. "The school has an SRO, who is also a member of Coral Springs Police. In addition, the school's administration has a very close working relationship with Coral Springs Police, who are also concerned with creating and maintaining a safe campus and community environment."


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.