DADE CITY, Fla. — The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is investigating a woman's claim that she was groped at a Dade City haunted house.
- Woman says she was groped at Dade City Halloween horror house
- Lauren Klink said she was assaulted Oct. 3 as she and friends walked through the attraction
- Pasco Sheriff's Office said it is investigating the complaint
The Tampa woman, Lauren Klink, said a scare actor at Dade City's Scream-A-Geddon assaulted her on October 3 as she walked through the annual haunted horror park.
"[The actor] reached his fingers down my butt and gave it a squeeze," Klink told us. "I was completely shocked. 'This did not just happen, this has to be a character.' Then he leads me into a jail cell and does it again."
Now she is urging other potential victims to come forward and contact the sheriff's office.
"I want everyone to be held accountable," she said. "I want the man who assaulted me to be held accountable. I want an apology."
Patrons wearing glow necklaces allow the scare actors to touch and grab but Lauren Klink said they took it too far.
"You consent to being touched," Klink said. "But you don't agree to have an experience that's going to haunt you for pretty much the rest of your life."
Spectrum Bay News 9 normally does not name victims of alleged sexual assault but Klink has gone public with her claims. She said she reported the incident immediately but staff did nothing. She said that led her to report the incident to law enforcement.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the complaint and they are investigating.
Scream-A-Geddon posted a statement to a concerned Facebook user, saying in part that it is cooperating with law enforcement.
The operators of the horror house said they perform background checks on employees and that the safety and security of their guests is paramount.
At this point, no charges have been field and Scream-A-Geddon hasn't commented on whether any action was taken against any employee.