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School Resource Officer Accused Of Blindfolding 6-Year-Old Girl, Then Sexually Assaulting Her
"He told (her) he was going to take care of (her) and it was going to be okay," authorities wrote in an arrest affidavit for Malcolm Tillman.
School resource officers are supposed to be responsible for crime prevention in schools and for the safety of the students, but one officer in Florida is accused of violating both those duties after he allegedly blindfolded and then sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl inside an elementary school.
Malcolm Curtis Tillman, 22, of Tampa, was arrested Wednesday for the alleged sexual assault of a child inside Booker T. Washington Elementary School’s game room earlier this month, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The victim claims that Tillman took her out of class and brought her to the school’s game room on Jan. 10 where he ordered her to sit on a chair with her hands behind her back, according to an arrest report and a search warrant affidavit cited by the Tampa Bay Times.
"He told (her) he was going to take care of (her) and it was going to be okay," the affidavit said.
But instead he allegedly blindfolded her with a black jacket before sexually abusing her. The girl told authorities that when the blindfold was removed she saw the officer's pants unbuttoned and he told her "they were all good.”
Not only did the child report the incident the same day but she showed investigators the black jacket used to blindfold her, which was still in the game room, according to the Tampa Bay Times. DNA found on that jacket allegedly linked Tillman to the crime and led to his arrest.
Tillman denied the allegation but admitted he was alone with the girl in the room, the arrest report says. He instead told investigators he ”wanted to determine how safe she was at home," adding that he thought she was a victim of neglect, according to the reports cited by the Tampa Bay Times.
“This case is particularly troubling because you have someone in a position of authority and that’s a very young child,” Tampa Police spokesman Steve Hagerty told WFLA. “So we’re happy to make the case as quickly as we did.”
Tillman worked for the school since July and reportedly passed a criminal background check. He has been charged with sexually battering a child younger than 12. If convicted, he could spend up to life in prison. He is being held without bail. It's unclear if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
[Photo: Tampa Police Department]
