A registered sex offender was caught half-naked in the bedroom of a 7-year-old girl in Charlotte County. The girl's father discovered the scene just in time.
The father was working around the house when he felt something was wrong and decided to check on his daughter. He found 53-year-old Daniel D'Angelo partially on top of her in her bed.
D'Angelo had moved into the home about two weeks prior. WINK News spoke with D'Angelo's former roommate and landlord, who expressed concern for the victim and her family, and had troubling experiences with him on their own.
"I was afraid of him because he got banging on my door and banging on my door all the time, and I kept saying, Go away, go away. Go away. Leave me alone," said Robin Hart, D'Angelo's former roommate.
Kevin, D'Angelo's former landlord, said, "He just get so drunk that he didn't know what he was doing. He could barely walk. He just did things that normal people actually never do."
The girl's father called 911 around 11 p.m. on Sunday after discovering D'Angelo in the girl's room with his shirt off and pants around his ankles. The father took two photos of D'Angelo in the room, which were used as evidence.
Detective John Sadler of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office explained that sex offenders must register their new address within 48 hours of moving.
"Yes, yeah, it's a third-degree felony if they fail to register within 48 hours," said Sadler.
For those concerned about individuals in their home or around their children, Sadler recommended checking the FDLE sex offender database or Offender Watch.
"We have the FDLE sex offender database, and then we also have one called Offender Watch. Offender Watch covers multiple states, and FDLE is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, so they cover all the sex offenders in Florida," said Sadler.
Kevin, the former landlord, commented on the well-being of the little girl and her father after the incident.
"She seemed fine when we saw her and the father, he seemed okay. You know, he's having a hard time because he's the one that walked in on Daniel," said Kevin.
D'Angelo was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious conduct and failing to register as a sex offender at his new address. He remains in custody at the Charlotte County Jail.