August 18, 2009
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

PUBLIC’S HELP SOUGHT IN LOCATING SEXUAL BATTERY SUSPECT 

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating a local man wanted for a violent sexual attack committed while the victim’s children were nearby. The attack occurred Sunday inside a house in DeLeon Springs. The suspect, 26-year-old Elias Carbajal, Sr., is facing charges of sexual battery and burglary. Deputies have been looking for Carbajal since Sunday, but have been unable to locate him. 

Carbajal and the victim have known each other for about 10 years, but they’ve had a violent past. The woman got an injunction for protection against the suspect in June after a violent encounter resulted in Carbajal’s arrest. On Sunday, Carbajal showed up at the victim’s house and knocked on the door. By the time she realized it was him, the victim’s children had already opened the door for Carbajal. He then pushed past the three children, all between the ages of 1-6, and started punching and slapping the victim in the face while grabbing her by the throat and holding her down on the couch. Next, Carbajal dragged the woman into a bedroom, closed the door and proceeded to sexually assault the victim while choking her. Carbajal, who threatened to kill the woman if she called the police, eventually fled the house after the two older children entered the bedroom several times to check on their mother. The suspect had fled the area by the time deputies arrived, and he wasn’t located despite an extensive search involving patrol deputies, K-9 units and a Sheriff’s Office helicopter. Deputies have also checked Carbajal’s last known address in Pierson, but he wasn’t there either. 

On Monday, after Sheriff’s investigators presented the facts of the case to Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Rouse, Jr., the judge issued an arrest warrant charging Carbajal with sexual battery and burglary of an occupied dwelling. The judge has ordered Carbajal held on $300,000 bond. The search for Carbajal is continuing. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS. Resident can also text a tip by texting “TIP231 plus the message” to CRIMES. Tipsters who provide information to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000. Anyone who prefers to talk directly to a deputy can call the Sheriff’s Office at (386) 943-7866. However, only callers to Crime Stoppers will qualify for a reward.