Crime & Public Safety
Man charged after woman alleges s3xual assault following TikTok meetup at Palm Beach outlets
A West Palm Beach man was arrested and charged after police say a woman he met through TikTok was sexually assaulted during a meetup at Tanger Palm Beach Outlets. According to a probable cause affidavit, the meeting took place in the shopping center parking lot on Sept. 12, and the man was taken into custody on Sept. 30.
Investigators say the victim voluntarily entered the man’s vehicle to talk, then became uncomfortable and asked to leave. The affidavit alleges the man locked the doors, prevented her from exiting and committed a s3xual assault. The victim drove to Miami afterward and underwent a s3xual assault examination at a hospital, then reported the incident to the West Palm Beach Police Department and provided a recorded statement, investigators said.
Detectives reported identifying the suspect through the phone number used to contact the victim and by linking him to a black Dodge sedan observed near the outlet mall. Security video from the shopping center is cited in the affidavit as showing the two meeting in the parking lot. Police also conducted a photo lineup, which investigators say resulted in the victim identifying the suspect, and they arranged a later controlled phone call in which authorities allege the suspect made statements admitting the assault and apologized.
The man, identified in the affidavit as 37-year-old Windy Christian Forelus, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Sept. 30 and faces charges of s3xual battery and false imprisonment. Jail records and the affidavit show the case remains under investigation by the West Palm Beach Police Department.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.