Aspies For Freedom

Sun-Sentinel.com

Broward sheriff's deputies arrested a Sunrise man on charges of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old autistic man, authorities said Thursday.

Emanuel Martinez, 20, worked for a Hollywood home healthcare agency and was hired by the victim's family to accompany the man on outings, sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal said.

Between April 28 and June 5, Martinez sexually assaulted the victim at Martinez's home and in a Sawgrass Mills Mall bathroom, Leljedal said.

The victim, who communicates through a computer, told his mother about the assaults last week, he said.

Martinez was arrested Wednesday. He was being held without bond Thursday in the Broward County Main Jail on three counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a disabled adult and kidnapping.

Martinez worked for the agency for two years, and officials believe there may be other victims.

Wonder where that agency found this creep, what kind of screening procedure they use!

At least he's being held without bond.

If Martinez has worked for the agency for two years and he is 20 years old, then most likely he was hired right out of high school.  I also wonder what, if any training, he has to work with disabled people.  Some agency will hire anyone with a hearbeat.  Some actually do reference checks and police background checks but that only will screen out people who have been caught already, not the ones who are still offending.

The company I work for hired me when I was still <i>in</i> highschool.  The people I work alonside have misinstructed me on my timesheet, and my boss tells me that it's very common for timesheets coming out of that particular home to be incorrectly filled out.