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The Orlando City Soccer Club has terminated the contract of a defender that was arrested for sexual assault in Osceola County last week.
Major League Soccer also suspended Jonathan Suarez-Cortez, 24, after both he and his brother, Rafael Suarez Jr., were booked into the Osceola County Jail for the crime.
Orlando City said in a statement on Sunday that Suárez-Cortez’s contract had been terminated “with the defender mutually agreeing to the termination in order to focus on the allegations made against him.”
He had been acquired on loan from Mexico’s Querétaro last month.
MLS released a statement saying: “Orlando City SC defender Jonathan Suarez was arrested Tuesday night (Feb. 23) in connection with allegations of sexual battery. Suarez has been suspended pending investigations by MLS and the Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office. Major League Soccer will remain in close communication with the Orlando City SC, local law enforcement, and the MLS Players Association during this investigation. MLS will make further determinations concerning the player’s status as more information becomes available.”
According to a Sheriff ’s Office report, agency officials responded to a location in Orlando after receiving the sexual assault report because the alleged incident occurred in Osceola County on Feb. 21.
Deputies met with the adult victim, who stated that two males sexually assaulted her. Based on this information, a special investigation detective responded and took over the case.
According to the report, the victim and a friend met up with the Suarez brothers at Top Golf in Orlando on Feb. 21. They all had been drinking. Jonathan then invited the victim and her friend back to his Jamison Loop apartment in Kissimmee.
They all continued to drink, playing beer pong.
The victim then went into a bedroom with Rafael Suarez. They began to have consensual sex, when Jonathan opened the door and said that the victim’s friend fell asleep and that he wanted in “on the fun,” the report stated. She told them both “no.” But the brothers continued anyway.
“At one point the other brother decided he wanted to engage. The victim said no. No means no,” Lopez said. “They continued and that’s what was brought, that’s when the rape began, and subsequently after, the victim came forward and complained.”
Based on the information provided by the victim, detectives were able to positively identify the brothers as the suspects involved in the incident and developed probable cause for their arrest.
Both men were arrested on Feb. 23 and booked into the Osceola County Jail for sexual battery. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office at 407-348-2222.
