MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – An Illinois man was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Thursday, more than two years after he allegedly raped a woman who he met outside a popular Miami nightclub, authorities said.
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According to an arrest warrant, the 25-year-old victim, who was visiting South Florida from Canada, told detectives that she met Slaven Dejanovic, 39, of Des Plaines, as she was leaving the E11EVEN Miami nightclub on the morning of Jan. 16, 2023.
Miami Beach police later responded to the Casa Boutique Hotel on Washington Avenue where the victim had been staying.
She told them Dejanovic had offered her a ride back to her hotel as she was leaving the nightclub.
According to the warrant, the victim admitted to being “highly intoxicated” and said she didn’t want to pay for an Uber, so she accepted a ride to the hotel by Dejanovic since he seemed nice.
But the victim claimed that she fell asleep in the car and then was awakened by Dejanovic raping her via digital penetration, the warrant stated.
According to the warrant, the victim told Dejanovic to stop touching her and pushed his hands away.
She claimed he continued this several times during the car ride to the hotel.
According to the warrant, the hotel manager told detectives that the victim seemed to be “uncomfortable” as Dejanovic was hugging her in the hotel’s front entrance while dropping her off.
He said the victim then asked him for help, claiming she had been sexually battered by the man who had just dropped her off.
“The victim affirmed she commonly accepted rides from strangers after leaving bars or clubs in her hometown, therefore she never felt it was awkward or strange to leave with the male, even though she did not recall getting into his vehicle,” the warrant stated.
According to the warrant, the victim told detectives that due to being intoxicated, she was going in and out of consciousness during the car ride and was in fear that Dejanovic would possibly kill her.
Detectives said the hotel manager provided them the license plate number for Dejanovic’s vehicle and the victim identified him in a photo lineup.
According to the warrant, a detective spoke on the phone with Dejanovic on Oct. 10, 2023, and he claimed to be out of the country on vacation, but said he would meet the detective in person after Christmastime.
He claimed, however, that he was unsure why a sexual battery allegation would be made against him in Miami as he was out of town, authorities said.
Detectives said his statement seemed improbable due to the hotel manager obtaining his license plate number and the victim identifying him in the photo lineup.
According to the warrant, Dejanovic failed to answer any more of the detective’s phone calls despite agreeing to meet with the detective.
He was eventually arrested in Chicago before being extradited this week to Miami-Dade County.
As of Friday afternoon, Dejanovic remained jailed on a $10,000 bond.