Walter Wilkinson {BSO}
A man was arrested on charges of molesting a relative.
According to a warrant, the man, identified as Walter John Wilkinson, 78, of Tamarac, was arrested on April 12. The Coral Springs Police Department first became aware of a potential crime after receiving calls from concerned neighbors reporting a man and a woman screaming in the front yard of their home.
When officers arrived on the scene, they were met by a couple who explained they had just learned from their ten-year-old daughter that Wilkinson, a relative, had repeatedly molested her.
Records show the incident came to light when the young victim made a concerning comment about Wilkinson while at the park with her mother and friends.
According to the arrest affidavit, the victim’s mother told her daughter not to let anyone touch her in the park, to which she replied, “Yeah, except for {relationship redacted}.” Shocked, the woman told her they would return home and discuss it further.
Once they left the park and arrived back at their residence, the mother asked the victim why she made the comments at the park about her relative touching her, to which she replied, “I don’t know when it began, but remember {suspect} and me sometimes on couches and then he would just rub me.”
Upon hearing the terrible reality of the situation, the mother went outside to inform the victim’s father, triggering the screams that led neighbors to call 911.
During a detailed investigation by Coral Springs Police, the child described several instances where her relative would touch her while they were alone, typically when sitting on the couch.
The victim’s statement highlighted unsettling details about her experiences, noting that the inappropriate contact had been a “little secret” between her and the perpetrator, which she described in a recorded and sworn statement to the police.
On April 13, the victim’s mother and father provided recorded statements. The father confronted the suspect over the phone, during which the suspect explicitly admitted to the acts described by the girl.
The mother recorded the phone conversation and became a pivotal piece of evidence leading to Wilkinsons’s arrest.
Upon his arrest, it was police who learned Wilkinson was a registered sex offender in the state of Florida.
Wilkinson was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail, where he is being held without bond.
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Author Profile
- Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiple outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.
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