Left: Alexis Yates (Marion County Jail). Right: Alexis Yates in her nurse uniform (Facebook).
A judge has ruled that the statements of a Florida teenager, who claims he was sexually targeted by his stepmother, can be presented in the trial of the defamed Ocala nurse.
Fifth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Timothy T. McCourt issued an order allowing statements made by Alexis Yates’ stepson to forensic interviewer Allie Munshi, from the child protection group Safe Shores, to be admitted as evidence in Yates’ sexual battery trial. This includes instances where “the child did not avoid making statements that might portray him negatively (such as using marijuana on the night of the incident, and frequently in preceding months)” as part of a thorough account of events, McCourt noted, because the victim aimed to provide an accurate account of the alleged incident.
According to McCourt, the teen could have “played down these details — as he might have been motivated and had the chance to — but chose not to.” The judge stated, “The court concludes this enhances the overall reliability of his statement and its contents.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
“While he was not displaying emotions like sadness, the child … nevertheless expressed a mix of emotions consistent with the complex situation in which he then found himself (a situation the child himself referred to as being ‘f—ed up’),” McCourt added.
McCourt was asked to determine whether the victim’s statements were “reliable and trustworthy” enough for his recorded interview with Munshi, and her testimony at a May 29 hearing, to be allowed at trial.
Yates, 35, has pleaded not guilty to sexual battery on a person 12 to 18 years of age by someone in familial custody. The defendant’s employer, the Florida Department of Health, issued an emergency suspension order last month after her arrest was first reported, according to online DOH records. She had been operating under a single-state license as a registered nurse since 2016, per the DOH.
Yates was arrested last year after she was caught sexually assaulting her husband’s biological son in July 2024, according to cops. An anonymous tip led to Yates being investigated and arrested. The victim allegedly told police he was on vacation and visiting his father for the summer when the sexual assault occurred.
“His father worked late hours as a lineman,” Yates’ arrest affidavit says. “The child victim was hanging out with his stepmother while she was taking care of his younger siblings. … Around 11 p.m., the two of them began relaxing on the couch, ‘hitting’ a THC cartridge together while playing a video game. Several hours later … they decided to watch a movie.”
More from Law&Crime: ‘Returned to take turns’: Teens, ages 14 and 15, ‘stomped’ 66-year-old to death as he slept outside church next to wheelchair, kept coming back for more, DA says
According to the affidavit, the teen and Yates both thought the movie was “boring,” so they began to talk about other things before Yates made sexual advances toward the boy. They allegedly engaged in sexual acts, including intercourse. The teen told police that Yates had been making “sexual jokes” for approximately a week leading up to the incident, per the affidavit.
McCourt wrote in his order that the boy spends “the majority of the year with his mother” in Washington, D.C., and visits his father in Florida twice a year.
“While any situation where parents share custody of a child lends itself the possibility of improper influence, there was no evidence that there was any domestic dispute ongoing at the time of this incident,” McCourt said, noting how the boy also appeared to be a “particularly intelligent and mature young man” at the time his statements were taken.
“[The teen] appeared to be somewhat worldly and familiar with adult things (e.g., he described using a THC vape before having sex with Defendant, and smoking weed ‘pretty much every day’ he was in Florida),” McCourt added. “When considered together with the totality of circumstances attendant to this case, consideration of this factor weighs moderately in favor of the reliability of the child’s statements.”
