An 85-year-old man who lives in The Villages was taken into custody by Sumter County Sheriff’s deputies on a misdemeanor warrant accusing him of violating Florida’s peeping tom statute. Robert Donald Rice, who resides in the Vera Cruz Villas neighborhood, was booked and later released after posting a $1,000 bond.
According to jail records cited by Villages-News.com, Rice is charged with violating the state’s peeping tom law following his arrest on the warrant. The outlet reports he was released from the Sumter County jail the same day after posting bond. Warrant details, including the underlying probable cause affidavit, had not been made public as of the report.
Florida’s voyeurism statute is codified at Fla. Stat. § 810.14, according to Online Sunshine, the state’s official legislative portal. As charged, the offense against Rice is a misdemeanor warrant, meaning it is an accusation and not a finding of guilt.
What a First-Degree Misdemeanor Carries in Florida
Under Florida Statutes §§ 775.082 and 775.083, a first-degree misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of up to 364 days in county jail, 12 months of probation, and a $1,000 fine, per the Sammis Law Firm. Nothing in the available jail records or reporting indicates Rice has prior voyeurism convictions…