Man admits to sexually abusing a child during an interview with police in Apopka

A 26-year-old man admitted to sexually abusing a child during his Apopka police interview.

An Orange County jury found Stephen Bodley guilty of sexual molestation of a child after he openly admitted it during an interview for the Apopka Police Department, which launched an investigation.

On June 16, 2021, Bodley interviewed with the Apopka Police Department for a position he applied for as a sworn police officer. The Certified Voice Stress Analyst Examiner performed a vocal stress examination on Bodley.

During the exam, the examiner asked Bodley to elaborate on the answers he had given in a pre-test questionnaire. In it, Bodley described the sexual abuse of a child several years ago. He admitted the same thing when the examiner asked him to explain further.

Apopka police launched a criminal investigation following Bodley’s revelation. Investigators received additional details about the victim’s identity from Bodley.

Police arranged a meeting with the victim and the victim’s mother at the police station, where investigators informed them of Bodley’s confessions.

Investigators called Bodley back to police and arrested him.

The defendant testified during the trial and denied sexually abusing the victim, despite previously admitting to committing the crime three times.

On May 8, after a three-day trial, a jury found Bodley guilty of sexual battery on a child under 12 by a person under 18. The judge ordered a pre-sentence investigation to determine an appropriate sentence. Bodley is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24.