Teen Arrested in Holiday Home Invasion Charged as Adult

HOLIDAY, FL — A 14-year-old boy arrested in September following a home invasion in Holiday is being charged as an adult. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office announced the upgrade in charges Thursday.

Alexander Perez, 14, faces a home invasion robbery with no weapon charge. His bond has been set at $500,000.

According to the sheriff’s office, Robert Walker, 82, was sitting on the front porch of his Devonshire Drive home around 2:13 a.m. Sept. 23 when a teenage boy approached him. That boy, later identified by deputies as Perez, allegedly struck Walker in the face several times.

“Detectives say Perez then pushed the victim into his house through the front door, and proceeded to the victim’s bedroom, where he continued to batter him,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an email.

Perez is then accused of stealing the man’s wallet and pants. He reportedly left the home on foot. A search for Perez was kicked off shortly after the attack with the sheriff's office turning to the public for help locating the teen. He was brought into custody later that day.

Walker was treated on the scene for injuries suffered in the attack. He, however, died later that day.

“The investigation is ongoing,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an Oct. 13 email announcing the upgraded charges. “We are still working closely with the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine if additional charges will be filed.”

Perez is now being held at the Land O’ Lakes Jail.

Photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office