An Ocklawaha man was arrested after admitting to having intercourse with a 17-year-old girl who moved in with him to get away from her family.
A detective was contacted about recent unlawful sexual activity between a 17-year-old victim and her adult live-in boyfriend, 47-year-old Kurt Edward Schneider, on Wednesday morning, according to an arrest report fromt he Marion County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy advised that he learned about this while talking to Schneider on the phone. He admitted to recently having intercourse with the juvenile victim.
The juvenile victim was currently at HCA Ocala, located at 1431 SW First Ave., Ocala, regarding a self-harm incident. Schneider was believed to be on his way to the hospital to visit the juvenile victim, so law enforcement went there to meet him. He was found sitting in the waiting area of the emergency room, the report said.
Schneider agreed to talk and stated he and the juvenile victim had been dating for about four months. She lived with him in his rented room during their relationship. He described their relationship as sexual in nature, going as far back as April, the report said.
He also advised that the juvenile victim told him she was 18, and he did not know what year she was born in. He knew she had a learner’s license but never looked at it to confirm her age. He stated he never had a reason to check because he trusted the juvenile victim, the report said.
Schneider went on to describe how they met, saying it was at Tuscawilla Park, located at 829 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala. He denied knowing her prior to this or her family, although she told him she came from an abusive family, the report said.
Additionally, the detective gave Schneider an extended amount of time to review his text messages with the juvenile victim to corroborate his claim of her telling him that she was 18. He looked for nearly an hour but was unable to find one, the report said.
The detective then spoke to the juvenile victim who confirmed she was in an intimate relationship with Schneider and lived with him in a shared bedroom. She was unsure of exactly how long they had lived together, the report said.
When asked if she and Schneider engaged in intercourse, she initially stated she did not want to talk about it. The detective reassured her that he had already talked to Schneider, she confirmed their relationship was sexual in nature as well as their most recent encounter. She denied him using force or ever committing an act of violence against her, the report said.
The juvenile victim also advised that she told Schneider she was 18. She lied about her age because she wanted somewhere safe to live. She and the detective briefly discussed her unfavorable relationships with her biological family members. She did not describe any non-reported incidents of child abuse or sexual abuse, the report said.
They discussed her current “arrangement” with her family to live separately from them. She had not been reported as a runaway or missing person due to this agreement with her family, the report said.
Schneider was subsequently arrested on charge of sexual assault (victim 16 or 17 years of age). The Massachusetts native was transported to Marion County Jail to be held without bond.