Man accused of burglary, beating teen girl in Hobe Sound apprehended
HOBE SOUND — A 42-year-old man accused of breaking into a home last week and punching a 17-year-old girl has been apprehended, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Antonio Amaya-Guevara was taken into custody in Palm Beach County by investigators within hours of the Friday incident at a home on Southeast Alamanda Way in the Banner Lake community, west of U.S. 1 and south of Southeast Bridge Road.
“The victim was in her back bedroom in a locked house,” Martin County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy John Budensiek has said. “She hears a noise and came out of her back bedroom to confront a Hispanic male rummaging in her living room area.”
Budensiek said the teen was caught off guard, initially thinking it could have been someone her father knew.
She called her father via Facetime, and the father said he didn’t know the man and he shouldn’t be there.
The man is accused of punching the teen several times in the face. He took her phone, though discarded it in some bushes. Sheriff's officials released a photo of the accused assailant Friday via social media.
Sheriff’s officials in a 9:24 p.m. Friday social media post stated Amaya-Guevara was apprehended.
He was being charged with occupied burglary, battery, robbery by sudden snatching and child abuse, the sheriff’s office stated.
Amaya-Guevara reportedly is from Honduras and is accused of re-entering the county illegally last year.
The sheriff’s office stated the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security helped in the case.
Additional information, such as how investigators linked Amaya-Guevara to the incident, was not immediately available Monday.
The teen girl declined comment Monday.
Belinda Sherman said she’s lived on Southeast Alamanda Way for 18 years. She wasn’t home at the time, but was very concerned, and was glad there had been an arrest.
“It was horrible, I have kids” Sherman said. “That girl had to be terrified. She’s young. I was feeling their pain.”
Another resident of the street, Gustavo Gonzalez, 16, said he was at school when the incident occurred.
He said he’s seen the girl in the case on the bus a couple of times.
When he returned home from school he said he noticed a number of law enforcement vehicles. When he found out what happened, he said he thought it was “pretty crazy.”
Another neighbor, Levon Wilkerson, said he heard about the altercation after a relative posted it on social media.
Wilkerson said it didn’t necessarily surprise him that such an encounter could occur.
“Life itself, from one day to the next, you never know what to expect,” Wilkerson said. “Life is filled with uncertainties.”
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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Arrest made in Hobe Sound burglary, attack to 17-year-old girl
