FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A teen accused of raping a woman at a Coconut Creek bus stop has been allowed to leave jail on house arrest.
Gibson Sylvain appeared in court, Friday, where he had a bond reduction hearing, where a judge agreed to release him in lieu of a $15,000 bond. He will be confined to house arrest upon his release.
Sylvain was previously released on house arrest and was allowed to return to Monarch High School. That decision sparked outrage among parents before he was arrested again on additional charges related to the same victim.
“I will reinstate the previous conditions from the first appearance,” said Broward Circuit Court Judge William Haury.
“I believe the judge made the correct decision in accordance with the Florida laws,” said Sylvain’s attorney, Sean Coccia.
Sylvain is accused of raping a homeless woman at a bus stop in 2016. He was charged with one count of sexual battery at the time.
However, in November, the state hit him with four additional charges, which his attorney is now fighting, claiming the sex was consensual.
“The victim could not identify the defendant at all, just a black male, that’s it. She couldn’t give any vivid description,” Coccia said in court. “She didn’t yell for help or anything, she was yelling ‘F me, F me.'”
However, the prosecution feels otherwise.
“To say that a victim didn’t yell, so she’s not a victim is ridiculous. Victims react differently to each situation,” said prosecutor Alix Buckalew. “She can’t identify the defendant because it was dark out ( inaudible) and she has some man attacking her.”
A detective also said Sylvain confessed to the crime to a Monarch High School resource officer.
“He thought she was a prostitute, but he didn’t have the money to pay her,” said Coconut Creek Police Detective Steven James.
Prosecutors also said Sylvain’s DNA was found on the woman.
“The testimony came out last time, Your Honor, that she was afraid,” Buckalew said. “Although he didn’t say, ‘I’m going to kill you’ — he said ‘I don’t want to hurt you’ — he used violence with his body, with his hands, with his actions.”
Upon posting his $15,000 bond, Sylvain will be out fitted with an ankle monitor. However, he will not be allowed to return to Monarch High School.
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