PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – Panama City Beach police on Tuesday afternoon arrested a hotel security guard accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old spring breaker.
Shawn Wuertley, 29, was on duty at 1 a.m. when the attack allegedly occurred, police said. He took the Tuscaloosa, Ala., girl into an empty room and assaulted her, according to the police department in the popular spring break destination.
Police said the two began to struggle and he pushed the girl over a sixth floor balcony. She landed in a second-floor stairwell and suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said.
Police said they arrested Wuertley in another area of Bay County Tuesday afternoon and that he would booked into the Bay County jail on charges of attempted felony murder, sexual battery and false imprisonment. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer.
Investigators had questioned Wuertley Tuesday morning but did not have enough information to charge him so he was released, Maj. Dave Humphreys said.
A background check later turned up an outstanding arrest warrant from Indiana on a burglary charge. Humphreys said the department is looking into why investigators didn't look into his criminal history before he was let go.
A supervisor at the Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort, where the girl was staying, declined to comment Monday night.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox