HOMOSASSA, Fla. — A 39-year-old man was arrested Friday after deputies said he broke into a home and exposed himself to a child who was home alone.
Daniel Ballagas was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling and exposure of sexual organs.
On Sept. 23, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said it got a call about an unknown male, later identified as Ballagas, who had gone into a home where a child was home alone and exposed himself to the juvenile.
The child called her mother and told her that a man had just come into the house, entered her room and exposed himself, deputies said.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the man was no longer in the home and searched the nearby area. The mom told deputies she had seen the man matching the description traveling away from the home when she was returning.
A detective assigned to the case was able to later identify the man as Ballagas "after a lengthy investigation," a news release states. Deputies said the child positively identified Ballagas as the man who entered her home through a photo lineup.
The detective interviewed Ballagas at the Citrus County Detention Facility, where he is on unrelated charges. Detectives said he admitted to entering the home and speaking to a female in the bedroom.
"Ballagas stole the sense of safety from this victim by entering her family
home. He also exposed himself to her, putting her through an experience that
a child should not have had to endure," Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. "Due to
the tenacity displayed by Detective Barry, we were able to intervene before
Ballagas escalated his behavior, leaving Citrus County a safer community with
him in custody."
Ballagas's bond was set at $16,000 on both counts, but he is currently being held with no bond on the unrelated charges.
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