A 70-year-old man entered a Florida hospital with a 13-year-old girl, telling the medical staff that the child was having severe “constipation” pain. However, after inspecting the child, horrified nurses immediately called the police to have the elderly man arrested.
Once a patient steps foot into an emergency room, all bets are off. There’s no hiding the truth, as even the smallest bit of misinformation can lead to a devastating medical outcome. So, when 70-year-old Renaud Jerome entered a Palm Beach County hospital with a young girl in serious pain, hospital staff members took his excuse with a grain of salt.
When Jerome checked a 13-year-old girl into North Broward Medical Center, he explained that the child was experiencing horrible pain from severe “constipation.” Unwilling to simply accept his diagnosis, nurses began running standard tests on the child. It was then that they discovered the real reason for the young girl’s discomfort.
According to The Palm Beach Post, Jerome, who only speaks Creole, was arrested after medical staffers discovered that the child’s abdominal pain was not from “constipation” but was due to her being 14 weeks pregnant with the 70-year-old man’s baby. The hospital immediately notified the Boca Raton Police, who arrested Jerome on multiple counts of illegal sexual activity with a child.
Once she was alone with police, the girl reportedly told officers that Jerome had repeatedly raped her at the home they shared, although their relationship has been redacted from police records. The child told police that the old man “would touch her and have sex with her,” and was undoubtedly the father of her unborn baby. However, the most disturbing moment came when officers questioned the girl’s elderly carer.
When police interviewed Jerome, he remorselessly confessed to repeatedly raping the girl but insisted that their sexual relationship was consensual, despite Florida laws stating that the age of consent is 18. Even more disturbing is that Jerome maintained that it was the child who came onto him, adding that he wasn’t even sexually interested in her but she persisted, the Miami Herald reports.
“Jerome stated that within the last couple of months he has had consensual vaginal intercourse with [redacted] three times,” police said. “Jerome stated that [redacted] was interested in him more than he was interested in her and never forced her to do anything.”
Without hesitation, Jerome admitted that he was the father of the girl’s child, stressing again that their relationship was completely consensual. He also told police that he had sex with the child at least three times in the past few months and that it was her idea.
Of course, police weren’t buying Jerome’s disgusting excuse. He was charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of impregnating a child. He was then booked at Palm Beach County Jail without bond.
It is unclear if Jerome and his victim are related or if anyone else lived in the Boca Raton home with them. However, police confirmed that he was charged with helping care for the girl and that they shared a residence. Local child protection services were notified of the girl’s abuse and have since been involved in the case.
Although the age of consent in Florida is 18, there are special exceptions. For children between the ages of 16 and 17, they are legally able to give consent to sexual partners who are under the age of 24. Of course, no one below the age of 16 can legally give consent to a partner of any age.
It is unclear what sentence Jerome faces. However, most would agree that he should never step foot outside of a prison again. Although he has little time left on this earth, it should undoubtedly be spent behind bars, where he can never harm another child.
