ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Lucie County sheriff said a man who's believed to be homeless tried to kidnap and sexually assault an underage girl at a gas station near Port St. Lucie on Monday night.
Jerry Cherisme, 33, is facing charges of kidnapping, lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim 12 to 16 years of age, battery, and cruelty toward a child.
Sheriff Keith Pearson said Cherisme went up to a teenage girl outside a gas station in the 7900 block of South U.S. 1, wrapped his arms around her from behind, then tried to pull her behind a building while making graphic comments about the size of his private area.
Pearson said the victim fought her way free, ran into the gas station, and notified law enforcement.
Cherisme ran away and was taken into custody just minutes later in a nearby community.
Pearson said Cherisme was born in Haiti and has been in the United States since 2018. He currently has permanent residence status.
"We do not have any documented criminal history, but we believe he is homeless and living in the Port St. Lucie area," Pearson said in a video posted on the Facebook page of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
Pearson told WPTV News journalist Kate Hussey that he's never seen a case of attempted abduction to this extent in his two-decade career with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
"I have no doubt that Cherisme’s intentions were to sexually assault this young teenaged victim," Pearson said. "His behavior is horrendous and repulsive and will not be tolerated here in St. Lucie County. Our message to the community has always been if you see something say something. Yesterday was a perfect example of this. With the help of our community, deputies were able to put Cherisme behind bars where he belongs."
If you recognize Cherisme and believe you may be a victim, call 911 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-8477.
