A Brevard County defendant faces felony charges after investigators said a teen with autism fought him off inside her home.
ROCKLEDGE, Fla. — A 29-year-old Rockledge man remained at the center of a Brevard County sex crime case this week after a judge ordered him to provide DNA and police said a teenage girl with autism struck him with a hammer during an alleged assault inside her home on Feb. 24.
The case has drawn attention because investigators say it combines a reported sexual assault, a daytime break-in and physical evidence left across the home. Police say the teen called 911 to report that someone had broken in. Brandon Scott McCuen was later arrested, and court reporting this week showed prosecutors were still sorting out which felony counts would move forward as investigators gathered evidence from the scene, the girl’s phone and a sexual assault exam.
According to the arrest account described by local news outlets, officers with the Rockledge Police Department were sent to a home around noon on Feb. 24 after a call from the teenager. Officers found her outside holding a hammer. She told police that McCuen had entered the house without permission while the adults in the home were away at work. The teen said he told her to get on the ground and got on top of her. She said she resisted, was able to get on top of him and grabbed a hammer that was near a pillow on the floor. She struck him once in the back of the head, then he gathered his belongings and left through the garage, police said. The account became the starting point for an investigation that quickly moved from the front yard into the bedroom, the dining room and later to McCuen’s residence.
Investigators said they found bloodstains inside the teen’s bedroom, on the bed and in the dining room. Police also reported finding a paper towel with fresh blood or red staining in the garage area. Later, when officers went to a Rockledge residence to speak with McCuen, they reported that he came to the door wearing a green sweater that appeared to have blood near the bottom. Authorities also said they connected him to the case through communications found on the girl’s phone. McCuen told investigators he had met the teen only days earlier at a gas station on Murrell Road, then began communicating with her through text messages, Snapchat and another messaging app. He told police the two had sexual intercourse on Feb. 23, the day before the reported attack. In his version of events, he said he went back to the house on Feb. 24 to watch television in bed and was hit with the hammer after the teen began rubbing his back.
Police said the teen’s account was reinforced during a forensic interview at a children’s advocacy center, where a nurse also administered a sexual assault kit. One report said the girl told interviewers she felt intimidated and did not know how to tell McCuen no. Investigators also noted that the home had strict written reminders telling her not to let anyone inside, a detail police used to support the allegation that McCuen entered without permission. Another important point for investigators was that, according to the arrest paperwork summarized in reports, McCuen told officers he knew the girl had autism. Because the victim is a minor, large sections of the affidavit were blacked out in public reporting, leaving unanswered questions about her exact age, how much prior contact the two had and whether prosecutors believe the alleged conduct on Feb. 23 can be proved independently of the Feb. 24 break-in allegation.
The legal picture has shifted as the case moved from arrest to court review. Early reporting described McCuen as facing three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one burglary count. Later court reporting said prosecutors dropped two of those unlawful sexual activity counts after a finding of no probable cause on those charges, leaving one unlawful sexual activity count and a burglary of a dwelling with battery count in the case record described by FOX 35. A separate report from WESH said McCuen was being held with no bond and that a judge had ordered him this week to submit DNA for evidence. Earlier court reporting listed bond at $50,000 on the unlawful sexual activity count and $100,000 on the burglary count, along with a no-contact order and an order that he stay away from the girl’s home. Those differing snapshots suggest the custody and charging status changed as hearings continued and evidence was reviewed.
The case also stands out for the detail that the teen injured the suspect while trying to stop what police say was an attack. That moment has shaped how local outlets framed the story, but investigators have focused on what can be documented: blood found in multiple rooms, the timing of the 911 call, statements from both sides, a medical exam and digital messages that may show how contact began. Public records published in a Brevard County arrest roundup show McCuen, born Aug. 2, 1996, was booked in the early hours of Feb. 25 after an arrest by Rockledge police on the afternoon of Feb. 24. The booking entry listed a total bond amount of $150,000 at that point. Still unresolved are whether prosecutors will file any amended charges, what DNA testing may show, whether additional digital records will be introduced and when the next formal court setting will be held.
For now, the case remains in the stage where detectives and prosecutors are trying to turn a chaotic encounter into evidence that can withstand court review. The next milestone is likely another filing or hearing tied to the DNA collection order and the narrowed set of felony counts.
Author note: Last updated March 6, 2026.