He kept molesting her in her sleep, cops say. This time she woke up and he’s in jail

A 48-year-old man is in the Manatee County jail after deputies say he sexually assaulted a young girl — and had been molesting the victim in her sleep for some time.

Robert Lee Turner was booked into jail on Wednesday and is being held without bond on a charge of sexual battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 18.

The age of the victim was redacted from the arrest report, which states that another child told deputies he saw Turner molest the girl several times but she never woke up, “because she’s a heavy sleeper.”

But she woke up during on the last assault, which deputies say took place over the Memorial Day Weekend and screamed in pain as Turner molested her, deputies say, at which time he left the room.

The incident was reported to law enforcement, which made several attempts to interview Turner. Deputies say he didn’t show up for scheduled times and then stopped answering law enforcement calls altogether.

An arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 23, and Turner was taken into custody.