MARGATE, Fla. – Police arrested a fourth member of a Margate household where they accused family members of torturing and starving a 15-year-old girl for years; as of now, his criminal charges appear to be unconnected to the case.
According to police, Horace Crawley, 74, was charged with two counts pertaining to failing to re-register as a sex offender.
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According to court records, he resides at the same Northwest 79th Terrace home as Latricia Elizabeth Crawley, 46; Benjamin Deztuan Lockett, 43; and Shankyria Latricia Clayton, 20, who are all charged in connection with the abuse case.
That abuse investigation began after police said the girl reached out to an online instructor pleading for help and a police response to the home.
Authorities arrested Latricia Crawley and Lockett, the girl’s aunt and uncle, who were also her legal guardians, in late October. Then, on Thursday, they arrested Clayton, the girl’s sister.
It’s not clear if Horace Crawley, jailed in the North Broward Bureau on Sunday on a $40,000 bond, is suspected in or will face any charges in connection with the abuse case. He’s listed in Florida’s sex offender database after a 1994 attempted rape conviction in Upstate New York.
Local 10 News contacted the Margate Police Department asking whether investigators suspect that Horace Crawley had any knowledge of or involvement in the alleged abuse.
Police responded by saying the case remains “open and active.”
“We’re going through the course of our investigation to determine how many more, if any, people will be charged with abuse and neglect of our victim,” Margate police Lt. Alain Banatte told Local 10 News via email.
The three other family members are accused of caging and starving the 15-year-old over the span of a decade. Clayton is also accused of failing to report the torture.
Latricia Crawley and Lockett were also variously accused of forcing the girl to “kneel on rice for several hours at a time,” leading to permanent scarring, striking the girl’s toes with a hammer, binding her with rope and pouring boiling water on her stomach.
The girl also told investigators that her aunt “would often pour cold water on (her) while she slept, just to see her wake up.” Another form of punishment by Latricia Crawley included taping the girl’s eyes shut while her head was dunked into water, police said.
Latricia Crawley, Lockett and Clayton, all facing various child abuse charges, were no longer listed in Broward jail records as of early Monday afternoon.
The Florida Department of Children and families took custody of the girl.