Dania Beach man allegedly strangled and sexually abused Alzheimer’s woman

DANIA BEACH, Florida. – A Dania Beach man choked and sexually assaulted a woman he lived with in a group home in February, leading to his arrest on two felony counts, officials said.

According to jail records, Broward Sheriff’s Office officers in Oakland Park arrested 49-year-old Roderick Fernandez on Wednesday.

An arrest warrant released Friday states that Fernandez entered the woman’s room on February 4, punched her in the face, choked her and forced her to perform sexual acts.

The woman suffers from depression, Alzheimer’s and hallucinations, the arrest warrant states.

She was taken to Broward Health Medical Center with injuries from the attack, officials said, where she was evaluated for sexual assault.

DNA tests of the woman’s breasts showed a match to Fernandez, according to the arrest warrant.

Fernandez is charged with sexual assault and assault by strangulation.

As of Friday, he has been held on $100,000 bail at the BSO’s North Broward Bureau jail in Pompano Beach.