LCSO detectives make arrest in 1998 rape case
Lee County Sheriff’s Office detectives have arrested a Virginia man they say is responsible for a sexual battery on Fort Myers Beach nearly twenty years ago. Tuesday, Cornelious Florman, 51, of Low Moor, Virginia was arrested on a warrant charging him with sexual battery, kidnapping and carjacking.
On June 22, 1998, deputies received a call in reference to a sexual battery on Fort Myers Beach. The victim told deputies she was exiting the Reef Bar at 2601 Estero Blvd. when she was approached by a male known to her as “Cody” who asked for “a ride off the beach.” The victim agreed and began to drive with him toward the Matanzas Pass Bridge.
The victim said while she was driving, the male struck her in the face with his fist causing her to lose consciousness. She awoke in a wooded area and discovered she had been sexually assaulted.
It was DNA that eventually gave detectives the name of their suspect. During our ongoing effort to send sexual battery kits for DNA analysis, in compliance with the National Institute of Justice Project, detectives hit pay dirt.
The DNA analysis for the Fort Myers Beach case resulted in a match to Cornelius Florman. Florman was taken into Custody in Virginia. Florman will be transported back to Lee County to be booked into the Lee County Jail.
“We’ve come a long way with DNA analysis since 1998,” says Undersheriff Carmine Marceno. “This is a classic case where you can run from the crime, but you can’t hide from the evidence.”