Florida Sex Offender Charged in Valentine’s Day Attack

A sex offender in Florida is now in custody after allegedly attacking a teenage boy on Valentine’s Day. This incident took place on the Daytona Beach boardwalk while the 13-year-old, Sullivan Clark, was out with his parents after a day at the Daytona International Speedway.

As they were walking back to their hotel, Sullivan’s mother, Lori, spotted a man approach and, within moments, he slashed her son’s neck. “I thought he was just trying to grab Sally’s phone,” she recounted. “The moment he cut him, I screamed. I said, ‘Hey!'” That panic in her voice must have been overwhelming.

Sullivan’s father, Jerrod, described the moment he realized something was wrong, recalling a “big split” in his son’s neck. The doctors warned the family that if the cut had been just a millimeter deeper, the outcome could have been fatal.

Interestingly, Sullivan mentioned that he was distracted, looking up at a nearby ride right before the attack, which, I guess, changed his positioning just enough for the assailant to strike his neck.

The suspect, Jermaine Lin Long, 44, of Daytona Beach, was apprehended not far from the scene, under the pier. He faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and has been given a bond of $50,000. Notably, Long had only been released four days prior to this incident, pending other charges of aggravated assault.

Long has a long list of previous arrests, which raises some eyebrows. They include various charges like battery, drug possession, and refusing to leave public property. Local officer Andrew Walker expressed his shock at the situation, recalling how he encountered Long just minutes before the attack, completely unaware of what was about to unfold.

As it stands, Long has not cooperated with investigators, leaving the motive for the attack unclear, which is quite perplexing. This whole incident is just… well, it’s troubling on so many levels.