Man accused of touching teens at Walmart arrested, faces judge for first time

Marco Evora charged with 2 counts of lewd & lascivious conduct

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Clay County Sheriff's Office says information from the community allowed them to identify and arrest a 55-year-old man seen on surveillance video at a Middleburg Walmart store where two teenagers were touched against their will.

Late Friday Marco Evora, of Jacksonville, was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct and ordered held on a $200,000 bond. 

Clay County deputies said Evora is the man seen in surveillance photos at the Brannanfield Road Walmart, where two middle-school girls were touched inappropriately.

The girls told investigators he invited them to his house, offering them "ice cream, pizza and movies," then lifted one girl's shirt and kissed her on the abdomen.

The girls were not harmed.

Deputies told Channel 4 Friday that Evora may also be charged with inappropriately touching a third victim.

Channel 4 went to Evora's neighborhood Friday and spoke with some of his neighbors about the crimes Evora is accused of.

"It's very scary because I have two daughters myself and I never would have guessed in a million years," said neighbor Matt Aston. "If it is true, people can hide it quite well."

Neighbors said they are stunned that the man is accused of inappropriately touching young women. One neighbor said his daughters have interacted with Evora in the past.

"Seemed like a neighborly type person, always making knickknacks for my daughters. He never seemed threatening to me whatsoever," said Aston.

When Channel 4 told Aston about the accusations involving Evora, he was shocked.

"Very big shock to me. I would like to see if this is proven and holds true," said Aston. "I'm very surprised and I would be let down if it is true."

Jay Mays said he lives a short distance away from Evora's home. He said his teenage daughter walks her dog close by Evora's home and that he's very concerned about the allegations against Evora.

"Now I'm going to have to talk to my daughter to see if he ever said anything to her," said Mays.

"You leave kids alone, man. You don't mess with kids," said James Rogers.

Authorities say Evora had no previous criminal record in Clay County.

Evora was booked into the Clay County jail on Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning, Evora faced a Clay County judge charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct. His bond was set $200,000. 

Because Evora's photo will be used in a lineup with a potential third victim, his booking photo will not be released until Monday.


About the Authors:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.