Anthony Espin {BSO}
A man was taken into custody and arrested following an investigation into a reported sexual assault at a Halloween party on October 19.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warrant for the arrest of Anthony Espin, 35, from Coral Springs. According to the warrant, he is accused of crimes related to the alleged rape of a woman at a Halloween party in Oakland Park.
Records show a Special Victims Unit was dispatched to the Nancy J. Cotterman Sexual Assault Treatment Center on October 19. There, they were met by a female victim visiting from Denver who reported the incident, claiming she was sexually assaulted at the party after consuming alcohol and blacking out.
The BSO warrant shows the victim stating that she attended the party hosted at an acquaintance’s residence after taking an Uber with friends. While mingling at the event, she met a man dressed in a pilot costume who identified himself as “Tony.”
The victim told law enforcement that after her friends left the gathering, she continued drinking. At one point, she reported putting her drink down while she went to use the bathroom, and when she returned shortly after, she subsequently lost consciousness.
According to her account, she briefly regained consciousness early in the morning of October 19 to find “Tony” engaging in non-consensual sexual intercourse with her in the movie room of the residence.
The victim reported waking up later in the morning, naked on the couch, with her belongings scattered throughout the room. She contacted an Uber to leave the residence and later decided to report the assault to authorities.
BSO and CSPD led an investigation identifying “Tony” as Anthony Espin. Espin was confirmed through his phone number and public records. When law enforcement approached Espin, his attorney was notified, and he consented to a search of his residence.
The warrant shows that during a search of the residence, police recovered physical evidence, including the victim’s missing clothing—a subsequent interview with Espin corroborated portions of the victim’s account.
BSO alleges that Espin admitted to engaging in sexual activity in the movie room but denied any non-consensual behavior. The fact was further corroborated by the fact that he had reportedly later apologized to the party host for violating the house rule prohibiting sexual activity during the event.
The victim completed a sexual assault examination, and further forensic evidence was obtained to support the investigation, including DNA samples from the victim.
Following the investigation, which included the victim’s identification of Espin in a photo lineup, probable cause was established for his arrest.
On October 24, Espin was taken into custody and charged with one count of sexual battery. He was transported to the Broward County Main Jail.
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