JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was arrested after police said he followed a University of North Florida student with autism into a campus bathroom, entered a locked stall and prevented the student from leaving.
Jack Laroche, 22, of Kingsland, Ga., was arrested Aug. 21 and booked into the Duval County jail on charges of abusing a disabled adult without causing great bodily harm, false imprisonment of an adult and giving a false name or identification to law enforcement, according to a report filed by UNF police.
According to the report, the student told police he noticed an unknown man following him outside a campus dorm shortly before 4 p.m. Aug. 21. The student went to a friend’s room, then to a lobby bathroom when the man continued following him, the report said.
Police said surveillance video showed Laroche entering the bathroom at 3:45 p.m. and leaving at 3:59 p.m. The student told investigators the suspect entered his locked stall, demanded his phone number and called it to confirm the number. Laroche also allegedly recorded video of the student inside the stall, according to the report.
The student told police Laroche put him in a headlock and repeatedly flicked him in the face, causing his glasses to fall and break. The suspect then allegedly told him to set a 10-minute timer and not leave until it expired, warning that he would “come back and get you” if the student left sooner.
The student left after the timer expired and drove to the police station, according to the report. Investigators documented minor abrasions on his nose and swelling on his cheeks.
Police later found a man matching the suspect’s description walking near campus. The report said he initially identified himself as “Jack Jones” before eventually giving his real name.
The report said Laroche initially denied being inside a campus building. After officers told him he was captured on surveillance video, he acknowledged entering a building and using a bathroom, according to the affidavit. He told police he was on campus to make YouTube content and was “[expletive] around.” He denied having contact with the victim.
Laroche has bonded out of jail and is expected back in court for his arraignment on Sept. 14.
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