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Florida Man Accused Of Sexual Battery, Burning Woman's Hair

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - A woman accused a heavily tattooed and possibly armed Florida man of taking her to a camper and sexually battering her before burning her hair.

The woman also accused Efthimios Michael Zachary Mikedis of punching her in the head, and abandoning her in a grocery store parking lot, police said.

The Ocklawaha man was arrested Wednesday and charged with sexual battery, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The woman told police that Mikedis, 29, offered to give her a ride on Jan. 5 from Orange County to her aunt's home in Marion County. She said he appeared to have a gun in his waistband when he arrived and was someone you would "instantly be scared of," according to the release.

Mikedis showed up in a van driven by his mother with another man inside, and the woman said she didn't want to go but Mikedis told her she had to, police stated.

Once in the van, Mikedis "forced an unknown substance" into the woman's mouth, the release said. She told police she was taken to a camper on a residence and sexually battered by Mikedis, a secondary object and another person.

The woman later woke up and tried to call a ride-hailing service to leave, she told police. But Mikedis forced another unknown substance into her mouth, then burned her hair with a cigarette, dragged her and punched her in the back of the head, according to the release. She said she was forced into a vehicle, again driven by Mikedis' mother, and forced out at a grocery store parking lot.

The woman reported the case to police and sought treatment at a hospital, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Authorities investigated the case and arrested Mikedis, who was already in jail on unrelated charges.

Mikedis was charged with sexual battery and was being held in the Marion County Jail, the release said. It's unclear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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