JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is on house arrest after a months-long investigation ended with his arrest for sexual battery and false imprisonment.
Mark Bond, 22, was arrested July 1 on charges stemming from an incident that happened in February. Court records show a trail of digital evidence and recorded interviews helped investigators build their case.
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What the police report says
A sexual battery was reported March 1, accusing Bond — who goes by his middle name “Peyton” — of committing the crime on Feb. 26 at a Red Roof Inn in Jacksonville.
According to the police report, the woman told Bond she was “not interested in rekindling the relationship with him.” She said no to his advances at least 10 times. She was afraid to leave at 2 a.m. because she did not have a car.
The report states Bond forced her to have sex and “bear hugged her to pin her arms down.” The woman said she escaped at 5 a.m. once she knew he was asleep. A sexual assault kit was processed the next day, and results are still pending.
Snapchat thread becomes key evidence
Investigators uncovered a Snapchat thread showing a conversation between the victim and Bond after the incident. In it, the victim wrote: “Why didn’t you listen when I said no?! I don’t even feel human anymore?” Bond responded: “Because I’m in love and thought with my heart and [expletive] instead of my brain.”
Local attorney Shannon Schott, a partner at Plata Schott Law, reviewed the arrest affidavit. She is not affiliated with the case.
Schott said DNA results were not yet back when the arrest was made — but investigators had enough to move forward.
“An officer needs probable cause to ask for a warrant to arrest somebody, and even though they don’t have DNA, there is enough testimonial evidence based on the interviews in order to have the narrative and the affidavit needed in order to establish that there is a nexus between the allegation and the person in order to have them arrested,” Schott said.
Controlled call, suspect interview bolstered case
Detectives also conducted a controlled call — recorded without Bond’s knowledge — and later interviewed him directly.
“Based on the suspect’s own admissions made in the interview as well as a controlled call where he was being recorded by detectives, that helped bolster the allegations made by the victim in this case,” Schott said.
Police concluded in the affidavit that the victim was “in fear of retaliation and or physical injury (coerced submission).”
Schott explained what that means legally.
“The situation in this case is that you have a friendly acquaintance relationship where this might have started as a consensual encounter, however it turned into a coerced encounter — that’s what the detective means in the affidavit,” she said. “Although it started as consensual, it turned into something that was very much coerced and non-consensual at that point.”
Bond is currently on house arrest and is required to wear a GPS monitor. His arraignment is scheduled for July 22.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.