A 20 year-old Winter Haven man is behind bars after performing lewd battery on a 15 year-old he saw at a bus stop.
On May 20, 2025, 20 year-old Loy Don Stewart, II (Edwin St NE, Winter Haven) was taken into custody after he was identified as the male who encountered a female 15 year-old at her bus stop on three separate occasions.
On May 8, 9 and 14, 2025, Stewart would pull up to the bus stop located at Edwin St NE and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and called to the victim saying, “come here little mama”. The victim and Stewart ultimately exchanged Instagram accounts and talked for a short period of time until his account was closed down by Instagram.
On the three separate occasions, Stewart would take the victim from her bus stop to her school and drop her off. The victim stated Stewart had lewd interactions with her in his truck on the three occasions. Stewart provided the victim e-cigarettes with a promise of alcohol and cash for the May 14 encounter. This was to occur on May 19, 2025. However, the victim had confided in her parent and she was not at the bus stop on the 19th.
After speaking with the victim, detectives were able to confirm that Stewart lived at the Edwin Street residence where they located the truck he was driving that matched the description given by the victim. On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, detectives made contact with Stewart and confirmed that he drove the pickup truck to the bus stop and talked with the victim. He also admitted he drove her to her school and acknowledged the lewd acts inside of the truck. Stewart claimed the victim told him she was 17 or 18 years old, but he couldn’t remember.
Loy Don Stewart, II was taken into custody and charged with three counts of Lewd Battery (F2), three counts of Traveling to Meet a Minor (F2) and one count of Use of Electronic Device to Solicit a Minor (F2).
“I implore parents to be hyper-vigilant about the school bus stops,” said Chief Vance Monroe. “It’s always a good idea to partner with other parents and try to have a presence to ensure the safety of the kids.”
If there are any other victims who may have encountered Stewart at the bus stop, please contact Detective Heuer at 863-291-5304.
