He drugged her and burned her hair with a cigarette, cops say. That was only the beginning.
A tattoo-covered Central Florida man is accused of drugging, kidnapping and raping a woman in early January.
Efthimios Michael Zachary Mikedis, 28, was arrested and charged Wednesday with sexual battery, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies allege Mikedis and an associate made the woman ingest an unknown substance then abused her with an unidentified object on Jan. 5.
Upon regaining consciousness, the woman was force-fed more drugs, burned with a cigarette and had a pair of scissors held to her throat, according to the sheriff’s office.
Mikedis had originally agreed to give the victim a ride to her aunt’s home. When he arrived to pick her up, the woman saw what looked like a gun in the waistband of the man whom she later described as “someone you would ‘instantly be scared of,’” deputies say. She also noticed another woman, later identified as Mikedis’ mother, Shannon James, behind the wheel and the associate, Robert McDaniel, inside the van as well.
The woman decided she didn’t want to go but Mikedis refused to let her leave, according to the sheriff’s office. Once inside the vehicle, she was immediately forced to swallow the unknown substance, held to the floor and driven to a residence, deputies say.
Once there, the victim was led to a camper at the back of the property. She began to lose consciousness but remembered Mikedis sexually battering her with an unknown object as well as encouraging a second individual to abuse her.
“Mikedis said ‘Go, go,’ and a second person began sexually battering her,” the deputy wrote on Facebook.
When the woman regained consciousness, she tried calling an Uber but Mikedis again pushed more drugs down her throat. He then burned her hair, punched the back of her head and dragged her back to his mother’s car, which eventually dropped her off in a Winn-Dixie parking lot, deputies say.
Jail records show Mikedis is being held in Marion County. He could face additional charges, according to the sheriff’s office.
A review of his criminal history revealed numerous convictions for domestic battery, grand theft and selling stolen property. He also has a pending forgery case.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 7:43 PM with the headline "He drugged her and burned her hair with a cigarette, cops say. That was only the beginning.."
