Background: News footage of DeMarcus Pleasure in court on Nov. 7 (WDTN). Inset: DeMarcus Pleasure (Montgomery County Sheriff”s Office).
An Ohio man is now facing prison time after pleading guilty to abducting his 12-year-old cousin and committing a heinous act of violence against him. DeMarcus Pleasure, aged 38, has been sentenced to three years behind bars following his admission to the charge of abduction. This comes after charges of kidnapping and assault were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
According to reports from NBC affiliate WDTN, Pleasure confessed in court to forcibly taking his young cousin from his Dayton home on February 22. The incident took a disturbing turn when Pleasure, along with 33-year-old Reka Jarmon, allegedly transported the boy to another location, where they reportedly attacked him by pouring bleach on his face.
Details from an affidavit, as reported by the Dayton Daily News, revealed that before forcing the boy into a car, Pleasure and Jarmon allegedly struck him multiple times in his residence. The violence continued at the second location, where the boy suffered injuries to his eyes and face due to the bleach assault.
Emergency responders were summoned to the scene, and the victim was subsequently hospitalized for treatment. Fortunately, he has since recovered from his injuries.
Further insights from the Dayton Daily News and CBS affiliate WHIO suggest that there may have been suspicions regarding the boy’s involvement in a sexual assault, according to Dayton police. However, these claims have not been officially confirmed.
The Dayton Daily News and local CBS affiliate WHIO both reported that Dayton police said the boy might have been suspected of sexual assault, but this information was not confirmed.
Jarmon was also charged with kidnapping, assault, and abduction. Her case is ongoing.
In court for his sentencing, Pleasure told the judge, “I made a mistake.” He explained that at the time, he did not consider taking his own relative to be an abduction. “I lived with this little boy. I raised him as my own,” he said of the victim.
Pleasure was sentenced to three years in prison for abduction with credit for 243 days he has already served.
