TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee man is behind bars and accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in a hotel stairwell in April last year, according to a probable cause affidavit.
52-year-old Rickey Griffin was arrested Thursday and charged with sexual battery on a child under 18 but older than 12.
A Tallahassee man is behind bars and accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in a hotel stairwell in April last year, according to a probable cause affidavit.(CJIS)
According to the affidavit, on April 5, 2025, the girl’s family was in Tallahassee for an event her sister was participating in. On the day of the event, the girl stayed at the hotel because she didn’t have an interest and that was when she first made contact with Griffin.
She was out reading by the hotel pool when they spoke and Griffin reportedly told the girl his name was Chris. In a later interview with police, the girl said the man had taken an interest in her studies, per court records.
According to court documents, she told Griffin that she was 15 and would soon be celebrating her 16th birthday. She told him that she was looking forward to getting her license, to which he replied that she could drive his car and said it was a black truck with red wheels.
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The girl told police that they exchanged Instagrams and she met her family in the hotel lobby later that night at about 9 p.m.
Almost an hour after meeting with her family, Griffin reportedly texted the girl through Instagram, asking her to meet in the stairwell between the 1st and 2nd floors. They only had a brief conversation before the man touched the girl inappropriately and forced himself on her.
It was the day after that the girl told her mother about the incident and her mother reported it to the police, per court records.
Griffin was one of several suspects, according to court documents. He was also reportedly employed at the hotel and was working on the night of the incident.
A TPD detective working the case reviewed the hotel’s security footage and found that a man, later identified as Griffin, was coming in and out of the stairwell around the same time of the incident.
They also found that Griffin drove a black truck with black and red rims. His physical description also matched the one provided by the young girl.
It is not clear which hotel the incident occurred in.
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