POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies were holding a 77-year-old man on Sunday in Pompano Beach who was arrested on Thursday at the Central Courthouse.
Jorge Enrique Gutiérrez, who was born in Colombia, was at the Paul Rein Detention Facility awaiting sentencing for sexually abusing a girl in 2019.
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“He told me that whenever his wife goes into the shower that me and him can go play in his room,” the victim told a detective about the abuse, according to the arrest report.
Gutiérrez’s jury trial was set for May 13 and Broward County Circuit Judge Frank David Ledee was set to preside. Before prosecutors could present the evidence in the case, there was a hearing on Thursday and Gutiérrez changed his plea.
Records show the girl was younger than 12 when she was a guest at Gutiérrez’s home in Tamarac. The girl’s mother first reported the crimes to police on March 22, 2022, and there was an investigation before prosecutors filed the case.
During the investigation, the victim told a detective that she “just froze” when Gutiérrez first sexually abused her. She described Gutiérrez’s behavior as predatorial and manipulative.
“After he would do it, he would buy stuff to make it seem like he is not a bad guy,” the victim told a detective, according to the arrest report.
According to court records, Gutiérrez had moved to Holy Springs, North Carolina, when a judge signed a warrant for his arrest on May 23, 2022. BSO deputies arrested him on June 14, 2022, at the Broward County Central Courthouse. He was released on a $30,000 bond.
Gutiérrez’s defense filed his written plea of not guilty on two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and one count of lewd or lascivious conduct.
On Sunday, BSO inmate records show Gutiérrez was waiting to be sentenced for two counts of sexual battery and one count of lewd or lascivious conduct. He was held without bond.
BSO deputies expected to release him to the Florida Department of Corrections after sentencing on Dec. 17.