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Heavily Inked Florida Man Who People ‘Would Instantly Be Scared Of,’ Accused Of Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Woman
The victim told authorities that Efthimios Michael Zachary Mikedis was supposed to give her a ride to her aunt’s house, but instead forced her to take an unknown substance and then assaulted her in a camper van.
A tattoo-laden Florida man has been arrested for allegedly abducting, drugging, and sexually assaulting a woman earlier this year.
Efthimios Michael Zachary Mikedis, a 28-year-old Ocklawaha resident, was arrested on Wednesday for sexual battery, according to a statement issued by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. His arrest stems from an alleged incident that took place on Jan. 5, during which he allegedly beat an unidentified female victim, burning her hair with cigarettes and sexually assaulting her with a foreign object.
The victim, whose name and age has been withheld, told authorities that Mikedis, who goes by “Zak,” offered to give her a ride from Orange County to where her aunt lives in Marion County; when he arrived at her home to pick her up, he was in van driven by his mother, Shannon James; a second man, Robert McDaniel, was also in the car. The victim said that she noticed that Mikedis had a gun on his waistband, but when she tried to back out of the trip, Mikedis allegedly wouldn't let her. After she got into the vehicle, Mikedis allegedly forced her to take an unknown drug and made her crouch down in the seats until they arrived at an unknown residence.
Once there, Mikedis allegedly led the woman to a camper van near the back of the property, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim reported that she then began to lose consciousness, and Mikedis began sexually assaulting her, at one point using a foreign object to abuse her and, at another point, urging a second party to also abuse her. When the victim began to regain consciousness, she attempted to call an Uber to take her away from the property, but before she could, Mikedis forced her to take more of the unknown substance and began abusing her again, authorities allege.
Mikedis is also alleged to have held a pair of scissors to the victim’s throat and burned the victim’s hair with a cigarette as she began hallucinating due to the drugs. He then allegedly pulled her by the hair back to the front of the property, and punched her in the back of her head before forcing her to get back into the van, which was, again being driven by his mother. James then allegedly drove the victim to a parking lot of a Winn-Dixie supermarket, kicking her out of the vehicle and leaving her there.
Mikedis, who is heavily tattooed, was described by the victim as someone people “would instantly be scared of,” according to the sheriff’s office. She met him through a family member; she was interested in moving to Ocala to live with her aunt, and it was her aunt who introduced her to Mikedis, and the two became friends on Facebook, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The victim reported what happened to the Orlando Police Department on Jan. 10, according to the sheriff’s office’s. Authorities began investigating Mikedis, who was already was in custody on unrelated charges that included a parole violation for committing domestic battery by strangulation, and arrested him, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The investigation is ongoing, and further charges and arrests are expected, authorities said. The sheriff’s office is searching for any information regarding Robert McDaniel, the second male allegedly present during the assault, and have asked that tips be directed to Det. Galler at (352)-368-3535.
