VERO BEACH —Vero Beach trial attorney Charles Sullivan Sr., 82, has turned himself in to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office after the Vero Beach Police Department secured his arrest warrant on a sexual battery charge.
He is accused of assaulting a female employee while in his office.
Assistant State Attorney Bill Long has initially been assigned to prosecute the case on behalf of State Attorney Bruce Colton’s office. Representing Sullivan is defense attorney Bobby Guttridge, with whom the elder and junior Sullivans share law office space.
The 82-year-old is being held overnight at the Indian River County Jail awaiting a first appearance at 8:30 a.m. Friday before Judge Joe Wild, who is expected to set bail terms for Sullivan.
According to Wild’s office, Sullivan is scheduled to appear by videolink only, as is common practice for first appearances at the Indian River County Courthouse.
According to a statement issued by the Vero Beach Police Department on Thursday, an investigation was launched on June 19 after “a husband and his wife walked into the lobby of the Vero Beach Police Department and reported to dispatch that she had been sexually assaulted a week prior while at her place of work.”
The woman reported ongoing sexual advances over the course of her year’s employment by her boss, Sullivan Sr., who has a law practice with his son, Chuck Sullivan Jr. on 20th Street.
The woman described in detail the lewd comments and incidents of unwanted touching in the workplace.
“She advised that the behavior escalated on June 12 when she was at the office in the morning and only she and Sullivan Sr. were there. She advised that Sullivan Sr. approached her and started placing his hand down the front of her blouse and touched her breast.”
The press release states that the woman “brushed his hand away,” at which time Sullivan Sr. exposed himself to her and sexually assaulted her.
“She pushed him away and told him to stop at which time he left her alone,” police say.
According to police, the woman approached the law partner and son about the incident, to which he responded that he would “tell his Dad to leave her alone.”
The press release states, “A few days passed and Sullivan Sr. asked her into his office and he apologized to her and told her that she needed to forget about it and that he wouldn’t touch her again. She was still very distraught over the situation and after several more days she finally told her husband about what had transpired and he convinced her to report the events to the Police.”
“Over the course of the next several days, Detectives were able to corroborate the victim’s claims through several investigatory techniques. Once this information was verified, a complaint affidavit was submitted to the State Attorney for approval. After reading the probable cause, an arrest warrant was issued for Charles A. Sullivan Sr. for Sexual Battery.”
