HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is investigating a rape Saturday night. The suspect is a 16-year-old high school student.
The student went to Springstead High School. Investigators said they have spoken to him about what happened at the Circle K at the intersection of Spring Hill Drive and Mariner Boulevard. The teen is accused of raping a stranger after initially trying to rob them.
WATCH: Teen accused of rape at Hernando County Circle K
Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in a social media video that he is asking anyone who hears about the story to leave the victim alone.
“I’m not going to talk about the victim. I'm not going to say anything about the victim. I'm not going to talk about the gender of the victim. I'm not going to talk about any particulars about why this victim might have been there because I certainly don't want to re-traumatize the victim," he said. "So if you're watching this video and you have an urge to put something in the comments, please don't if it relates to this particular victim, because the last thing we want to do is traumatize this victim even further."
Tampa Bay 28 is not naming the suspect either because of his age. But the Sheriff said the case was particularly difficult at first because the victim didn't know the suspect and couldn't help identify him. But after detectives looked through surveillance video, two people did recognize him.
“Both a current school resource deputy at Springstead High School as well as a previous school resource deputy who knew this particular suspect both said that is your suspect and we are sure," said Sheriff Nienhuis.
The Sheriff said the suspect was involved in a few school fights but overall wasn't really involved in any crimes before Saturday. He said this underscores how important school safety resource officers are.
“Both of them did definitely remember this individual because they had a lot of interaction with him, so he certainly was not somebody who is unknown when it comes to getting in trouble in school. It just didn't rise to the level of crimes [that we saw Saturday]."
There's also video of him attempting to break into a car, and the sheriff thinks that's potentially how he got his hands on a semi-automatic handgun. It's why he's asking people who live in the area of town, from the Circle K at that intersection to a few miles North, to check their cars if they keep a handgun stored there.
If you're missing a gun, call the Sheriff's office at 352-754-6830.
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